Crossroads
by keroberus
Summary: At her coming of age, Amelia stumbles onto the mystery behind her mother's death. Two years after they each went their separate ways, Fate, with some encouragement from an unexpected source, leads Zel and Amelia back to one another for their own adventure
1. Prologue

Hello everyone! This is a fic I wrote a while back. (I can't even remember when I started writing it. College, maybe? Geez, that would make it ten years ago? LOL, I've just aged myself…) I wasn't sure if I wanted to continue it after I wrote these chapters. It's really hard to match up a girl with a stone chimera. But Zel is one of the coolest characters in Slayers. It also helps that Hikaru Midorikawa-san voices him.

It takes place right after Slayers Try and has some references from Slayers Premium. I thought it would be cool if Ame-chan and Zel could find something they need in one another, though seemingly opposites. I actually think they have a lot in common. (Amelia Haters need not read further). Amelia is really very cute in the manga, and she and Zel share some touching moments in the written version. Also, her voice actress Masami Suzuki-san is much, much, much less annoying than her English counterpart. I can only conclude that Amelia Haters have only seen the dubbed version and/or have never read the manga. She's really cute when she sings too!

But I don't own any of the Slayers characters or anything! So if you happen to read this, bored out of your mind and dying for a story, just review it. I originally planned this as a one-chapter fiction. Since then, other chapters have sprung forth, but I've been hitting a bit of a wall for years now. To continue, or not to continue…that is the question…

--Kero.

* * *

Prologue: Many Partings

The group of travelers, or incidental friends who happened upon one another in their travels, had decided to escort Amelia to Seiyruun first, before parting ways for what may be the last time. Amelia couldn't decide if the general decision was because they all felt sorry for her and the life she would soon return to. When she reached Seiyruun, it would almost be her 16th birthday. The Seiyruun heir to the throne would always be crowned as the King's successor on their sixteenth year. With her cousin Alfred dead and gone, her sister Gracia still missing, the role of Crown Princess was hers and hers alone. Responsibility had to be shouldered, and this Heroine of Justice was to put away her cape and traveling outfit, most likely permanently. Official duties would start up almost immediately, Amelia imagined, as would the scrutiny of her father's Council. The Council's five members were always criticizing what she did, more severely as she grew older and continuously shirked her expansive duties. She would not be looking forward to their glances and silent critiques.

Perhaps Lina recognized those feelings, being a free spirited woman and a mentor/sister to Amelia. Lina would be the first extend sympathy. The red headed sorceress kindly went out of her way to make the return trip fun, taking all the detours she could find on their trip—including bandit hunting—going to the villages with the best _shabu-shabu_, getting into as much trouble as she could possible stir up. There was even an incident with a giant talking squid bent on ruling the world to save his brethren from becoming _takoyaki_. Much to the party's chagrin, she was also teaching Amelia some more "bandit-killing" tactics. Amelia thought it necessary knowledge if she was to protect the borders of her kingdom as its next ruler, but this frequently sent Filia flying onto some pedestal to preach the benefits of the good path and the horrendous path of evil. Lina simply ignored the golden haired priestess when this came to pass. After all, Amelia was _her_ protégéé. Who knew how long it would be before she could see little Ame-chan again? Though Amelia was annoying at first, Lina soon saw the worth of the youngest member of their team. She was a strong sorceress, a competent connoisseur of food, and a serious princess with a kind heart. Lina was sure that Amelia would be a fine ruler someday. Not to mention, their little princess was rich and able to feed both Lina and Gourry's appetites no matter how far and long they traveled. Lina would truly miss her.

The day they finally reached Seiyruun was particularly gloomy. The sky was a dull gray. The moist weather dampened the spirits as well as the road. The Prince, having heard that his darling daughter was returning, gathered a whole entourage of knights, minstrels, drummers, and performers for her vanguard. He declared a holiday so everyone could see the Princess return from her brave journey from the New World beyond the former Barrier. He wanted Amelia to know he wasn't mad that she was involved in destroying most of his naval fleet before she left the previous time. Not to mention, it ruined her royal image for many months thereafter. Though a gruff looking man who resembled a giant dwarf, Prince Philionel was admired for his political prowess and soon silenced the wagging tongues with other projects.

Lina and the others were glad to ride in carriages drawn by white horses through Seiyruun's capital city. Lina's ego enjoyed it, Zelgadis could tell. Their feet were weary anyhow from days of travel by foot and a little unsteady from being on the water so long before that, so Zel made no comments though he did dislike the crowds. Lina and Gourry enthusiastically waved to the cheering throngs in their carriage. Though she was "Lina the Bandit Killer," and Lina the "Dragon Slayer" who brought mischief and destruction wherever she went, the sorceress was a friend of the Princess, so the crowd waved politely back. Filia followed in the third carriage, with Valgaav the egg snuggled safely in her lap.

"Look at all the excitement, Lord Valgaav, see what you would be missing if Darkstar had destroyed all of this?" She nodded in self-approvingly. "Such a beautiful capital. Such smooth pearly white buildings and neat cobble stone streets. I will show you everything there is to love about life. You'll see."

Zel and Amelia rode in the first carriage together. As a slight drizzle from the gray sky started to fall, the footmen raised the canopies to the carriages to keep the passengers dry. The azure blue coverings patterned with the Royal Seal continued to whisk briskly towards the castle. Zelgadis noticed how gloomy and alone Amelia looked sitting across from him, not having uttered a single word since she stepped foot into it. For her, this was rare. The look in her eyes seemed conflicted. She stared outside of the glass window but didn't see the crowd at all. He didn't know why. Shouldn't she be happy to be back? At least she _had _a home. But, he couldn't find it in him to inquire, and least of all, console her.

Everything else seemed a blur from then on, aside from the impressive shows put on by the troubadours and the acrobats in the main banquet hall, aside from the grand feasting performances of Lina and Gourry and the grand admonishment speeches of the golden haired priestess that followed. It was almost impossible to see how fast Lina and Gourry's hands were going as they ate and it looked as though food was flying everywhere but not a morsel touched the immaculate white tablecloths as Filia continued to preach moderation, though no one was listening. For his daughter's friends, Philonel had arranged a grand suite for each of them, Filia and the egg sharing one of course, after the festivities—which was cut off short as Phil decided he didn't want Lina and Gourry to eat him out of house and home.

The morning finally came when the sun pierced through the horizon to set the sky ablaze in orange and pink hues. Zelgadis, not wanting to intrude on the royal hospitality any further, packed to leave for his own journey at dawn. Silently, he walked the shadows and without even noticing, he kept as far away from the morning light as possible as he went down the red-carpeted hall. A portrait on the wall gave his footfalls pause. He was looking directly into the ocean deep blue eyes of a two dimensional Amelia, painted when she was younger and designed to make her look even older than she was now. She was sitting in a velvet chair and a taller young woman stood behind her. This girl was also very beautiful and her violet eyes were the most prominent feature in her face. But it was Amelia's eyes that held his gaze, and though she was not particularly prettier than the other girl, there was something more pure in her facial expression. The artist had captured that brilliantly.

Shouldering his bags higher upon his shoulder Zelgadis sighed and walked on. A servant of the castle then stopped him short. Judging by her clean and starched attire Zel guessed she was one of the Princess's handmaidens.

"Excuse me, Zelgadis-san!" she said.

"Is there a problem?" he asked coolly. The girl blushed and stared at her feet, unable to meet his piercing gaze.

"The P-Princess, her Royal Highness Amelia Wil Tesla Seiyruun would like to wish you well on your journey. W-Would you please follow me?" she stuttered shyly. Zel was a bit annoyed. He had said his good-byes to Lina and Gourry, both currently pigging out in the Morning Hall, and the dragon priestess and the egg as well, whom were also in the Hall. Filia was keeping Valgaav the egg away from the messy and violent food war between Lina and Gourry when he left them. The priestess didn't want Valgaav to be raised with such terrible influences and did announce that she too would be on her way shortly thereafter. But, Zel made it a point to avoid Amelia. More precisely he avoided that look in her eyes that seemed all too familiar to his soul. For some reason, he didn't want to say good-bye.

"I'm pressed for time," he said briskly. "Please make my apologies," he said unfeelingly. "The next ship leaves the harbor in—" he began, but he was abruptly interrupted by a voice at the top of the main staircase.

"Zelgadis-san, wait. I beg you, please, a moment." Her formal speech in a softer, unfamiliar voice froze him, as did her image descending the red-carpeted stairs. She wore a peach silk gown, finely cut and tailored to make her every inch a princess. A scarlet silk sash hung horizontally across her chest clipped with a broach of the royal emblem, denoting her rank. A pearl tiara matched the gold and pearl choker around her neck and those that wrapped her wrists and adorned her fingers. She looked like a peach colored rose, decorated with pearl dewdrops. He felt the color rising to his face. _Beautiful_, he thought to himself with little effort. He had never seen her dressed so formally like this, or perhaps he had, but never noticed like he did now. The morning rays from the stained glass window touched her in a way that made her glow.

She reached him shortly, gliding down the stairs with total grace and composure. Hard to believe this was the little girl he met years ago who had always climbed to the highest available point to get her Justice speech across...and then stumble mid way and come crashing down in the most disgraceful way, usually landing on her face. Had she grown? Her cheeks a bit flushed from the walk down the stairs, and perhaps also from the bodice that clung tightly around her waist and chest, but otherwise, she was flawless. The look they exchanged in that moment reflected an understanding that they both knew he was not pressed for time and that the ship would not sail until midday and the meeting would not start without the princess, no matter how eager the Council was to see her. He wondered how she knew that he would be leaving now and how she managed to get dressed so early just to wait for him, despite the duties that occupied her time almost as soon as she exited the carriage a few days ago.

"Are you leaving now?" she asked quietly as she stood in front of him, and without emotion.

"Yes, I think I must," he said, hiding his lack of resolve with a low tone.

"You weren't even going to say goodbye," she said, looking away. The shimmer in her eyes was not only from the sunlight streaming through the tall, frosted windows in the hallway.

"I'm sorry," was all he could think to say. But he meant it. It seemed to be enough though, as Amelia smiled her forgiveness. The entire world felt right again, somehow.

"Here" she said rather childishly, casting her formal speech aside, and extended both her hands to him. Unthinking, he extended his hand towards her. She pressed his large, stony hand between her soft, smaller ones. Zel was painfully aware of the soft petal-like texture of her newly manicured hands against the rough, blue golem texture of his own. She didn't flinch at all; her look was nothing but sincere. Zel was a bit taken aback and felt a little lost in her azure gaze.

"May Ceiphied guide and protect you, Zelgadis Greywords, and lead you to your desired destination." Zel felt warmth in the palm of his hand. She slowly slid her hands from his, her touch lingering until the very last moment.

Zel stared at the glowing blue gem in his hand. The pink strap told him it was one of Amelia's bracelets she always wore for protection. He looked at her. Neither could decipher the other's expression.

"It's a char, warded with a protection spell…I had it when I was still a shrine maiden…" Amelia said. "For luck," she added lamely. Zel was surprised and touched to see tears rolling down her cheeks.

"For heaven's sake" she cursed softly. "I promised myself I wouldn't cry." She wiped her tears on her chiffon sleeve. Zel's heart almost stopped for he had never seen her so fragile and it almost pained him to see her like this.

"Amelia…" he began, stepping closer. Her name and the feeling in his heart felt alien to him, and words would not come. Perhaps there were no words to express what he wanted to say.

"Do your best and don't give up Zelgadis-san," she said boldly, gathering pieces of her smile once more. "Take care of that charm for me. A powerful priestess at the temple of Ceiphied gave it to my mother when she was a shrine maiden. I've worn it ever since and managed to come back alive from every one of my adventures with Lina. Please don't lose it; it means a lot to me."

"I'll protect it with my life," he replied honestly.

Amelia was pleased. A rosy blush colored her cream colored face. It made him feel warm and hopeful to be able to make her smile. He didn't venture to wonder why, but instead relished in that moment. Passers by wondered at the Princess and the stone chimera staring intently at one another, standing quietly in the morning sunlight at the bottom of the main staircase.

"Princess" said the handmaiden. "Your father, His Highness, is coming. He's to present you to the court in the Main Hall shortly." Amelia ignored her, even though her father and his councilors following behind were heading their way. Their footsteps against the stone floor echoed from further off but their voices were becoming clearer. Zelgadis took that as his cue and bowed sincerely to the Princess. He didn't know what possessed him to say what he said next, but he meant it with every inch of his being.

"_Wait for me_. I consider this charm a loan. I'll return it later."

Amelia's smile broadened.

"Until then, Master Zelgadis," she replied, dropping a most elegant curtsey that swept the hem of her skirts across the red carpet and her dress billowed about her like the full blossom of a pale peach rose. Their gaze lingered a moment longer, and time seemed to pleasantly stop for the both of them. "_This feeling…somehow has always been with me…"_ thought Zel and Amelia simultaneously. The moment ended as they both stood upright again, as the Prince paused to make sure the most important part of it was over. Zel turned and walked away towards the door. As he passed Philionel, the Prince placed a gentle hand on Zel's rock hard shoulder. Surprised, Zelgadis looked at him.

"I hope you find what you are looking for, my boy. But even if you don't, Ame-chan and I will always welcome you here, so feel free to stop by. Unlike Lina-san and Gourry-san, at least you won't eat away your welcome. And, despite your quiet, cool demeanor, I like your style." The Prince smiled warmly, and Zel was still in shock to see this side of the Prince. Phil and Zel exchanged a nod and Zel continued walking towards the main exit. Not knowing why, he looked back only once, to see Amelia embrace her father. Her form seemed even smaller and more fragile embraced by the larger, ogre-like stature of her kind father.

"It's all right, Ame-chan. Stranger things have been known to happen," said the prince, gently stroking his daughter's soft hair.

"Daddy," said Amelia, her voice muffled against his shirt. Zelgadis turned away when he thought he saw her body trembling, and decided it was never wise to look back.


	2. Book of Days

Chapter 1: Book of Days

The quill tip momentarily stopped scratching at the parchment paper underneath it, and then came back full and furiously as her hand tried to keep up with her thoughts. Aside from the bustling noise of the street on the other side of the castle walls carried on the breeze from the open double glass balcony doors, everything in the bedchamber was quiet but for the pen. She couldn't stop writing, she was so angry. Her journal was the recipient of all of her infuriated thoughts, however un-princess like and unspeakable they were in formal court and high society. Amelia's tiara was carelessly tossed aside on her neatly made bed. Her skirts were hiked up to accommodate her foot propped on the seat of her chair. The left hand drummed her fingers absently against the mahogany desk while the right hand continued its furious, private, written rampage. Amelia sighed a put the pen down. She hiked up the other side of her skirts so she could sit cross-legged and _extremely_ unladylike in her writing chair. At this point, she didn't care if the pale yellow crushed silk dress, a very expensive gift from a courtier of a distant land, was wrinkled or not. Leaning back, she interlaced her fingers and stretched out her arms until she could hear some stiff joints crack and pop in her back, and laced her fingers behind her head. A long, frustrated groan emerged from her lips. She then clutched her hair in exasperation.

Lord Nigel had scoffed at her unbecoming behavior during the morning council meeting. His ugly sneer and crooked wig had taunted her. Why hadn't her father defended her? Her only retort was that she didn't have to be a lady to be Queen. This made everyone else sitting in on the meeting silent. There was no one at the table who would dare challenge Lord Nigel for his influence at Court was wide, and his land and bank holdings large. Phil didn't particularly care a whit for him, and the only reason by Nigel was still on the council was because his dying father had asked it of the Prince as his last wish.

But Lord Nigel had gone too far this time. The matter of Amelia's birthday celebration had been on the table that morning, among other things. The princess was coming of age, but there was also a problem of Amelia not yet choosing a consort or showing any interest in marriage. Though this concerned Phil, who wasn't as young as he looked, but he never pressured Amelia as he understood there were some _mitigating circumstances_. But it silenced the table when Lord Nigel had made the snide remark that it was because Amelia was so tomboyish and gruff and unladylike that prevented the happy even from happening. The princess had to admit that Lord Nigel was probably still a bit perturbed from a few days ago when she had nearly shoved him aside and stepped on his foot during dinner when her father told her that fried prawns were being served.

Amelia looked down at her diary entry.

THAT STUPID JERK OF A NOBLE! HE WOULDN'T KNOW A LADY IF SHE RAN OVER HIM WITH HER CARRIAGE! THAT #&#$#! THAT TOAD! THAT &#$$! SON OF A PIG! CAMEL DUNG!

Scary.

"Completely un-ladylike," sighed Amelia again, staring out the window to the blue sea that beckoned in the distance. Her father was the Great Pacifist; therefore Amelia had always concluded that her temper must come from her mother. She recalled stories of her mother from the castle attendants. Her father had chanced upon his bride to be in his travels, and the tall, beautiful woman had fallen for the gruff, giant ogre-like king. It was a romance Amelia liked to think about from time to time.

The ocean breeze flipped through other pages and passages in her journal that were strangely similar to the one she had just composed. Amelia only wrote profanities and unspeakable language in this journal. Very seldom did it have any coherent trains of thought compiled in a single paragraph, let alone a page. A casual reader might take this as the ravings of a madman locked away in prison for life, which wasn't too off the mark…

"Eighteen…. You'd think I'd be able to write brilliant treatises by now, but I guess not," she told herself. She leaned forward and put her head on the desk with a dull _thunk_. Still staring out towards the sea, Amelia tried to its song and felt like a bird in a lofty stone cage. Looking over to a carved wooden box on the side of her table, she reached out and touched it gently with her fingers. Amelia opened it to reveal her other charm bracelet. She had worn this one in all of her adventures with Lina and the others. Amelia wondered where Lina was at this moment. Gourry was probably with her. They were probably pigging out somewhere and fighting over the last drumstick. Lady Filia and Valgaav were also together. Amelia was sure that Filia would teach him everything that was beautiful and good in the world, as they were the last of their kind and only had each other now. She wondered if Valgaav had hatched. A rueful smile came to Amelia's lips and she suddenly felt envious. Absently, she closed the lid of the box. Amelia didn't want to start wondering where her bracelet's matching partner was. Thinking about it always gave her an uncomfortable feeling in her chest, and awakened emotions that were too troubling to understand.

Her days of meting out Justice to the lands were over. Thinking back, Amelia realized now that she had just been searching for her sister, and perhaps even with the hidden agenda to find clues about her mother's killer. Somehow, it didn't sit well with her that Gracia, the Crown Princess, could run away and leave everything behind for Amelia to take care of. It was completely irresponsible and Amelia was determined to beat her sister to a pulp if she ever found her. But she never did find Gracia. Her adventures with Lina took her further and further away from her home, her initial task, and even her worries. Of course, Lina gave her a whole new set of worries! Living by the moment, where what was on the dinner table that day would be a crapshoot, and whether you lived through the next encounter with the enemy was anyone's guess, was the best way to live life, in Amelia's opinion. And when it came for her to return to Seiyruun after each adventure, slowly Amelia even came to forgive her sister Gracia for running away. She finally understood why.

Gracia not only resembled her mother, but her personality was cut from the same cloth. Both were free spirits, tall and lovely. They both shared the same scary laugh. When her mother died, there was nothing left holding Gracia in place. Whereas Amelia would always come back because of her closeness to her father, whom she could never leave behind intentionally. Amelia was his only family now. And he was hers. Her loyalty bound her to this place. But her heart was very, very far away; wherever her matching charm bracelet was. Amelia wondered if she would always be torn in two like this.

A small knock came from the other side of her heavy wooden door.

"Lady Amelia," said her head lady in waiting from behind the solid oak. Amelia didn't want to answer it. For whatever, reason, Amelia quietly snuck out onto the balcony, closing the doors behind her. Moments later, she could hear her chamber door open, and her servant's footsteps on the stone floor inside.

"That's funny. I thought she had come in here…" said the lady, shuffling around the room. Then, the oak door closed and all was silent again. Amelia smiled and gleefully concluded that she had just shirked off the afternoon routine of watching her father in the throne hall hear out the citizen's lamentations and then render a fair decision on each case. Whether it was stolen cattle or a pickpocket, how to remedy the aging sewer system in the city or how best to avoid the swelling of the river during the next flood season, there was nothing too small or trivial for the king, or someday queen, to decide. Though governors ruled each township separately, the capital fell under the direct rule of the king. Everyday brought its own new problems and challenges, and the ruler of Seiyruun was mayor, judge and jury of it all, at least for the provincial capital and surrounding forests. Philionel had a real "hands-on" approach to ruling the country, and it was how he had taught Amelia as well. But everyday she was forced to stay and observe him in the throne room she felt that pieces of her were slipping away.

She sighed and looked out from the railing to the twinkling blue sea beyond. Roughly two years ago, her other charm bracelet had sailed off in that direction to an unknown destination, future and further adventure. Amelia turned to the doors to go back inside. They wouldn't budge.

"Locked? How can they be locked?" She banged on the frame with a fist, but the doors would not budge. "Damn," muttered Amelia under her breath. The image of her sleeping overnight on the cold stone balcony passed through her head. They didn't think she was in her room. No one would come back until the next morning to tidy up. She grumbled to herself. Shamanistic magic was useful when encountering demons or thugs, but Amelia couldn't pick locks or anything like that. She had only learned the powerful offensive spells. She was not supposed to use magic in the castle, as it would make the court start talking about how she might inherit some of her mother's ways. Amelia never took offense at that, but for her father's sake, she would tone down the use of magic. Also, she was really fond of the doors to her balcony and didn't want to break them with a misfire.

"Oh well, I should find another way in," she concluded thoughtfully.

"_Levitation_," she chanted, and immediately, her whole body felt lighter and her feet felt like they had wings. Amelia soared up and out from the balcony. It had been a long time since she had the need to use magic, and it was invigorating. Amelia counted upwards from her balcony to the floors above. There were twelve floors in all in this wing. She knew that there had to be an open window somewhere above and she would enter on one of the lesser-used floors.

_Ten, eleven and twelve…_ she counted in her head. _Thirteen?_ _There are thirteen floors?_ she thought to herself. She counted again. Thirteen floors. This was news to Amelia. She knew the layout of the castle very well, as she had lived there since birth.

The basement was reserved for the wine cellars, access to the river, and the dungeon. The first floor was the tallest and it contained the main dining hall and the throne hall as well as the guest lounge and library. Access to the terrace and gardens were also on the first floor. The main kitchen was an annex connected to the main castle and accessible on the first floor only. The stables were a separate building all together behind the castle, as was the main armory, the soldier's barracks and the chapel and surrounding ponds and gardens. The second floor was a smaller dancing hall with tall stained glass windows for parties that didn't require the main throne hall, as well as a continuation of the library onto the second level. Prince Philonel did have the most exquisite and vast libraries of most of the other kingdoms. (Not that he read them, or anything. He just liked to collect them.)

The lower servants lived on the third floor and a smaller kitchen was located on that floor as well. Councilors, nobles and guests resided on the fourth through fifth floors. Relatives and extended members of the royal family lived on the sixth and seventh floors. Her father's private library, study and training room was on the eighth floor. There was also an armory that acted more like a museum rather than an actual armory in use on the eighth floor, and it contained weapons that were more treasures than useful tools. The herbalist and the doctors lived on that floor as well. The ninth floor was reserved for storing linens and the head servants, head chef, head musical coordinator, and the honored knights and ladies in waiting who served the royal family exclusively lived on that floor. The tenth floor was the royal apartments, and where Amelia's room was. The eleventh floor was mainly an art gallery for portraits of the past ruling families of Seiyruun, and the royal treasury was also on that floor. The twelfth floor had access to the solar and it primarily consisted of the music room, access to the guard towers, and her father's greenhouse. Because of the trouble of multi level living, her father had installed an elevator for royal use. Everyone else had to walk. Amelia didn't mind walking, though, since the main staircase that ran through the entire castle consisted of low, easy steps.

But this was the first time she had counted thirteen floors. She flew up to towards the top of the castle and peered through the castle turrets. Her father's greenhouse was glistening in the sun. She floated slowly down to the next open window below, and she saw the art gallery. In between the last two floors was another floor, a mystery floor, but all of the windows that she could see were shuttered and closed and Amelia thought the height of that floor was slightly lower than the others as it was sandwiched between them.

Minimizing the amount of power she would release, Amelia extended a finger and touched the lock of one of the windows in the in-between floor. "_Flare arrow,"_ she whispered, and a little spark shot out from her fingertip into the lock. The lock broke with a loud "clang," some of the glass cracked, and Amelia opened the window. Holding on firmly to the window frame, she swung out and then inwards with her legs to kick through the planks. Luckily for her, the wood was rotting from age and lack of care and her shoes broke the planks for an opening wide enough for her to squeeze through. Amelia tumbled through the opening and covered her mouth and nose to avoid breathing in the unhealthy, stale air. To her chagrin, her new dress was torn and smudged in many areas and she knew she would have an earful from her ladies in waiting when she saw them next.

She conjured a small flare arrow floating in mid air above her hand and used it like a light. The floor was almost entirely dark but for the beams of sunshine coming in through the now open window. Amelia could see the tiny dust particles and soot balls floating out into the breeze. Along the wall were old wax candles sitting on dusty wall sconces. She lit one with her arrow and took the candle in hand. As she walked down the dark hall, she lit some of the candles along the wall for more light. The wicks burned low, as there was no much air to feed the flames.

"That's funny. What was this floor used for?" asked Amelia as she glanced warily at the dusty portraits and mirrors hung up along both sides. It was barren and even the carpets and rugs and most of the furniture had been removed. She didn't recognize any of the pale faces in the portraits as being any relatives of hers. But then again, hers was not the only ruling family in the history of Seiyruun. In fact, there was an earlier lineage that was distantly related to her father's but on the opposite side of the family tree. Perhaps these were their family heirlooms. She stopped when she noticed to her left a pair of large, black lacquered double doors reaching from floor to ceiling. The hair on the back of her neck tingled.

"This room has magical wards," she noted. A large, heavy lock hung around the two doorknobs. She held her hand over it and noted that it was enchanted as well. A simple flare arrow was not going to undo it. Besides, the wood might be so old that she would start a fire and burn down her father's castle…She pictured this in her head and shook the image out of her mind. Not a good idea.

Holding her breath, Amelia summoned her Shamanistic powers from within and closed her eyes. She could feel a chill coming from the ground and up through her legs until it focused in her two hands. She exhaled slowly and breathed the words, "_freeze britz." _A torrent of summoned ice glided through the air to cement itself onto one of the doors. Then icicles formed and punched through the wood with loud crackling and crunching noises as the spell chilled the door completely through. Picking up the skirts of her dress and setting down the candle, Amelia readied one foot to kick out the frozen doors.

"Flying kick of swift Justice!" she called out gleefully, just for old times sake, as her foot punched through. The door crumbled leaving an opening just large enough for Amelia to sneak in. Picking up the candle again, the flame flickered as she crossed the threshold. Somehow, the air is this room felt alive. Amelia looked around and saw some wall sconces with glowing green liquid in them. She had read about this once, in a book of old alchemy. It was made of a derivative of glowing phosphorus and was used for lighting, but could only be lit with magic.

"_Illumination!" _Amelia chanted, holding her hand over one of the sconces. A spark flew from her hand to ignite the liquid. At once, it flared up, and just like in a game of dominoes, the other sconces to the left and right lit up one at a time with a little "poof." In an instant, the entire chamber was lit an eerie bright green. Amelia gasped as she realized how big the chamber was. Somehow, the ceiling was enchanted to look much higher than it really was, and it was decorated with an illusion canopy of floating clouds and stellar constellations. She paused and reflected how the spell was beautiful and lonely at the same time. At the center of the chamber was a tall marble statue of a woman, nearly naked and dressed only in a long flowing cloak carved out to trail behind her. A large, white snake coiled itself around one of her arms. Amelia had never seen such elegant sculpting skills before. The woman almost looked alive but for her immaculate white complexion. Amelia had the impression that this was a depiction of a goddess, whose name was as ancient as that of Ceipheid. The statue stood before a large incantation circle, painted in red and black. The markings were vaguely familiar to her as these runes were of a slightly older generation than those she learned at the Shrine of Ceipheid. At the center of the circle were the remains of what looked like dried flowers. Amelia knelt down and noticed the rusty brown stain splashed on the ground beneath them. It was an old bloodstain. A chill ran through her spine.

She wondered if her mother had used this room as a spell room. Queen Genevieve had been an adept sorceress as well. Both Gracia's and Amelia's powers were derived from her mother's bloodline, as the royals of Seiyruun on her father's side of the tree didn't have any magic running through them. She got up and backed away slowly. It dawned to her that perhaps this was the very room in which her mother was killed. Amelia was too young to remember it, but it had scared Gracia so badly that the Crown Princess ran away the next day and never looked back.

Amelia could not really remember her mother. She only remembered soft hands and the fragrance of lavender woven through her early childhood memories. Perhaps the flowers on the floor had been lavenders. Perhaps an offering from Gracia before she disappeared? Amelia took another step back and her heel pressed down on a knob at the edge of the incantation circle. Immediately, she looked down and to her surprise the incantation was glowing with luminescent white light. At the base of the statue she heard a faint "click" and a panel slid open to reveal a hidden compartment. The light of the circle flickered and faded. Amelia released the gulp of air she had been holding in her lungs and started breathing again and stared cautiously at statue and the gaping hole at its base, unsure as to what she should do next.


	3. Book of Spells

Chapter 2: Book of Spells

"Hey, Old Man, I thought you said you had a map of the most famous hot springs around the countryside," said the woman at the front desk of the bookshop. The old bookseller squinted past his cloudy spectacles and looked at her from head to toe. She wore a tacky cloak with sharp, pointy shoulder pads. The rest of her was scantily clad, though it was cold and rainy outside. Her tall, high-heeled leather boots were spotted with mud from the wet roads. The woman's long black hair was silky and shiny, and perhaps her best attribute. Though he did note her very well endowed chest, melons of that size weren't really to his liking. She was just too tacky for most people's tastes.

"Third aisle, on your left," said the old man. She grunted and went back behind the bookshelves to continue her search.

"Ah-hah!" she cried triumphantly. She picked up the pamphlet she was looking for and waved it around in the air. "I found it! Once I bathe in each of these springs, I will have smooth, sexy skin for life!" As she was doing her little dance of triumph, she accidentally ran into another patron behind her. She felt a little bruised from the encounter because his body was rock hard.

"Ouch! Hey, watch where I'm going!" she said, rubbing her elbow. The man stared back at her from under his hooded cloak.

"I'm sorry, but I believe _you_ ran into _me._ An apology from your mouth is in order," he said.

"Why you arrogant, little---" she began, cracking her knuckles and ready to conjure a spell. The man stood back as if also ready to do battle.

"Um, excuse me, honorable patrons!" said the old man from behind the counter. The two looked at the old man, who was pointing to a sign hanging above him. It read: _Please refrain from using magic while in the shop. All violators will be prosecuted per Civ. Code Section 3987.22. Thank you for your cooperation. Have a nice day!_

Both of them sighed as neither of them wanted to really draw attention to themselves at this moment. Zelgadis sighed and went back to what he was looking for among the bookshelves.

"Was there something in particular that I could help you find, sir?" asked the old man.

"No," replied Zelgadis. "I doubt it would even be in here. I just came here to avoid the rain outside."

"Well, let me know if I can help you. We have books on shrine maidens on sale today, which I daresay have _very descriptive_ pictures. Also, if you want something for your love interest, I have a book that tells you how to turn hay or grass into a beautiful bouquet of flowers," suggested the old man as he stacked books behind the counter for storage. He stopped and grinned at Zelgadis, resting one elbow on a pile of leather bound manuscripts. "But perhaps, you would be more interested in _transformation_ spells." Zelgadis froze at the old man's words and then spun around. But the old man was already on this way upstairs, humming to himself. There was more to the old bookkeeper than met the eye. A few moments later the old man returned with same, unnatural smile on his face.

"Do you have any spell books on transformation?" asked Zelgadis quietly.

"I used to have a very good book a long time ago. A very wise, seasoned and well-traveled sorcerer wrote it. But a woman bought it, I'd say about eighteen years ago. I had a chance to flip through it once. There was an entire chapter on transformation enchantments."

"Who was the woman who bought it? Do you know where she was from?" he asked anxiously. The old man paused, squinted, and scratched his head.

"Not sure if I can recall," he pondered.

"Can you remember anything about her?" asked Zelgadis tapping his fingers on the wooden counter, losing his patience.

"Well now, she was tall," replied the old man. Zel sighed in exasperation. He slipped out a gold coin from his belt and slid it across the counter to the old man.

"And she had long black hair." Another gold coin slid across the counter. The old man took it in his hand and bit into it with his rotting teeth to check the quality.

"She had really large breasts and a scary laugh. Actually, that woman over there is the spitting image of her," said the old man, nodding towards the only other patron in the store. The woman looked hard at the old man, summing him up in one stare, slammed a silver coin onto the counter to pay for her purchase and exited the bookshop without another word.

Zelgadis moved towards the door to follow her. But first, he stopped to pay for a copy of the spell book that instructed how to turn hay or straw into flowers, and hurried out the door into the pouring curtain of rain outside. The book dealer smiled and reached down below his collar. From there, he peeled off the rubbery mask from his face. At the same time, the glue from the mask tugged painfully at his skin.

"Oooh, ouch!" he grimaced. Xellos smoothed down the rest of his shiny black hair with a hand and tossed the mask and wig aside absently. "This promises to be interesting. Too bad I don't have time to stick around and watch." With that, he disappeared into thin air, leaving the empty shop behind.

She strutted briskly down the center of the street, now nearly empty because of the inclement weather. The target was easy enough to follow, as she was the only one dressed in a long, dark cloak. But, when she turned the corner, she broke out into a dead run. This surprised Zelgadis as he marveled at how fast she could bolt.

"_Raywing!_" chanted Zelgadis as he flew after her. Suddenly, she stopped dead in her tracks, spun around and launched an all out attack on him.

_"Burst rondo_" chanted the woman, and a large outpour of fiery missiles shot out at him. He managed to dodge them all but one of them did singe the corner of his clothes.

"Stop following me, you pervert," the woman called out. "I know I'm beautiful, but really! _Oh, ho ho ho ho ho_!" Her laugh made Zel flinch as it reminded him of fingernails on a slate board.

"I just wanted to ask you some questions," he called out. "About the woman who bought the book I'm looking for."

"A woman with a scary laugh? A book on transformation? I don't know anything about that," she scoffed and turned around to leave again. "But maybe if you buy me dinner, you might get some better answers," she added. Zelgadis sighed. There was an inn at the end of the main street. He did need a place to stay until the rain let up.

"Fine, whatever," he said, floating down gently beside her.

"Woo hoo, LUCKY!" cried the woman in delight as she waited for him to walk with her. "I could use some warm wine on a day like this."

"And you are…?" she asked quizzically. She tried to peer into his face but it was still hidden in the shadow of his cloak.

"Zelgadis Greywords," he responded unemotionally.

"Naga. Naga the White Serpent." She extended her hand for him to shake it.

"Whatever," he grumbled, ignoring the gesture. They quickly made their way to the inn.

Zelgadis, and not the mention, the other patrons in the tavern that was the first floor of the inn, stared in horror was Naga gobbled up her food. Just from one mouth, she had the same effect as a swarm of locusts, and most of the food was already gone within minutes. Zelgadis hadn't seen such atrocious table manners since he last dined with Lina and Gourry…and Amelia.

"You remind me of someone I know," Zelgadis sighed, wiping off flying bits of food from his sleeve.

"Huh?" Naga asked, rather ungracefully, as her mouth was full of mutton. The girl was a bit of a lush as well, considering that four empty jars of warmed wine sat on the table thus far.

"Never mind. Don't talk with your mouth full," he sighed. When she had finished what was on her plate, she ordered another and washed down the first wave with some more wine.

"Do you have an older sister, or even a mother or female relative that looks just like you? Someone who may have bought the book at that shop?" he asked quietly. She stopped to pause for a moment and grinned.

"My mother is dead. But they tell me that I do look a lot like her. I only have one younger sibling. But she's short and stumpy and prefers to wear a shorter coif of hair. She doesn't take nearly as good care of it as she should. I like to rub oil or butter in mine now and then. Promotes a healthy shine," she added. A low burp emerged from her mouth followed by an unassuming "'Scuse me." Then the table carnage began again when the waiter brought the second round and she tried to eat everything in sight in one breath.

"You have a younger sibling?" he asked curiously. She made no response. For a moment, the woman's face was not her own, but that of a younger version of her—the face of someone who was dear to him.

"Wait a minute," said Zelgadis thinking hard. "You called yourself the White Serpent, right?" It was starting to make sense to him now.

"What of it?" she asked nonchalantly, before chugging down more wine.

"Does your family crest have a winged white serpent in it?" he asked casually, placing his chin on his interlaced fingers while propping his elbows on the table. Naga nearly choked on her wine. She glared dangerously at him.

"The family standard represents the two houses that joined to create my family's now living clan. The white serpent was the symbol of the older, long extinct house. You know who I am, then?" she asked calmly.

"I can only guess," smiled Zel. "You know, she's probably really worried about you, though…"

Naga snorted indignantly. "Who?" she asked.

"Your sister."

Naga's expression softened a little. "She only wants to find me to beat me to a pulp for the trouble I've caused her. I know her," she smiled ruefully.

"Will you never go back?" he asked gently.

"What's it to you?" she scoffed. "I thought you wanted to ask about some book. But now that you know who I am, you probably already know where to look next." There was silence at the table.

"Are you going to wander for the rest of your life?" he asked.

"It's none of your business!" she shouted. With that, Naga stood up and threw an empty jar of wine at him. It only grazed his head, but it caused his hood to fall back, revealing his full face. She was a bit startled at the sight. Slightly pale bluish skin speckled with embedded clusters of stone. His wiry hair gleamed in the light. Everything about him looked dangerous, except the look in his eyes. His eyes were not angry. They were deep and sorrowful, mixed in with some pity.

"What do you care?" she asked, sitting down again.

"I don't, really. Not about _you_ anyway," he answered quietly. Naga stared at Zel for a moment and then her expression again softened.

"Is that the reason why you want a transformation spell?" she asked quietly.

"It's none of your business," said Zelgadis, looking away. She could tell that his cheeks were starting to blush. Naga smiled warmly, as opposed to her usual careless grin.

"You're an interesting fellow. I guess I can see why…." she added. Then, the waiter came by to collect the empty jars and cleaned off plates.

"Will there be anything else, Sir? Madam?" he asked as he piled the dishes high.

"No, thank you," they responded simultaneously.

"Do you want a room?" asked the waiter. Naga made a weird face.

"I'm really not _that_ type of girl," she grinned. Zelgadis blushed furiously.

"That's not what he meant," he stammered.

"Oh, ho ho ho ho!" she laughed. "We'll have two separate rooms, on _his_ tab." Zelgadis glared at her.

"What? My information isn't free, you know," she shrugged. She got up and yawned in a very unladylike fashion. "See ya in the morning, Zel." With that, she headed upstairs.

"The one at the end of the hall is vacant, miss," called the waiter after her. Naga waved her hand in thanks without looking back.

"Weird woman," said the waiter, carefully carrying the plates in both hands towards the kitchen. "Pretty though, in spite of the odd clothing."

"Her sister is prettier," said Zelgadis without thinking. He froze to think about the words that just came out of his mouth. Zelgadis put his chin in one hand and stared out at the starry night sky. A spray of stars speckled the dark satin hemisphere. His thoughts took him far away, to a green and lush kingdom with a pearly white capital. On one of the balconies sat a princess dressed in a peach colored dress, soft as rose petals, staring back at him. He shook the image out of his mind.

"What the hell was that for?" he asked himself. Zelgadis had left her that day in part because he didn't want to encourage her feelings for him. It wasn't that he did not reciprocate them, but as he was, in this form, he felt he did not deserve her. His curse plagued him and he could never accept his body as it was now. Though the stony golem and chimera exterior did help in times of desperate battle, Zel wanted to be human again. If only so that he could…. He took another sip of wine from his cup. Here at the crossroads between this town and beyond, it was too ironic how the path he was searching for led him back to the place he was trying most to avoid.

That morning, just after dawn, Zel knocked on Naga's door wondering if she wanted breakfast as well. Out of obligation to Amelia, he felt that he should at least offer. But, there was no answer from inside. As the door was unlocked, he slowly opened it and stepped inside. It was empty. Zelgadis looked around and realized that Naga was long gone. Perhaps she didn't want him to give anyone back home any clues as to which direction she was last seen traveling. Zel surmised that Prince Phil still had people out looking for her. Whatever her reasons for running away, he wasn't going to begrudge her for wanting her freedom. His only grudge towards her was due to what Amelia had to go through now that her sister was gone, never to return. (And because she had seriously depleted his money pouch with last night's dinner.) On the bed Zel saw a crumpled piece of torn parchment. He picked it up and read it. _Zelgadis-san, please take care of her_. He absently slipped the note in his pocket, and went downstairs to pay the bill.

Back in Seiyruun, in the hidden floor between floors in the royal castle at the heart of the capital city, Amelia Wil Tesla Seiyruun sneezed repeatedly in mid step. She rubbed her nose on her sleeve and looked around. Everything in the chamber was still quiet, aside from the sputtering sound of the green flames along the walls.

"Someone must be talking about me," she laughed softly. But her face went serious again as she approached the statue. Crouching down, Amelia carefully reached into the secret compartment and pulled out a large, dusty book. Even as she touched the leather cover, Amelia knew that this book was a powerful force. Her hands started to tremble and her heart beat quickly. Taking a deep breath, she blew away the dust and webs from the cover to read the title. A puff of gray dust shot into the air and made her cough. She squinted down at the title. The runes were hard to make out as the book was very old and but for the magic holding it together, it would have turned to dust ages ago.

"Book of…Spells?" she read out to no one in particular. She dropped the book when she read the engraving at the bottom. _Lei Magnus_. Her blood froze.


	4. Many Secrets

Author's Note: While writing this chapter, all the while I was listening to my Escaflowne OST "Lovers Only," and in particular the track "Cradle Song" as I tried to formulate a personality for Queen Genevieve communicating to Amelia through time.

Amelia is a really cheerful and energetic girl, but in truth she has a lot to be sad about. Maybe that's why she overdoes it sometimes, to compensate. Perhaps this is my attempt to win over more Amelia Haters.

As I was writing this, I realized that Seiyruun is actually a land-locked kingdom! Okay, bear with me, but let's just say the Capital is closer to the ocean, and the wind carries the ocean breeze from across the Alliance of Coastal States (which are small and are of low elevation) and Amelia can still see the ocean from her window in Chapter 1….

--Kero.

* * *

Chapter 3: Many Secrets

Amelia's body trembled as she stared down at the book lying open at her feet. She hastily reached down and closed the cover flap, fearful that something terrible might burst out of the yellow parchment pages. A puff of dust blew out from the pages as it closed once again. Looking around, she gingerly picked it up with the folds of her dress. She didn't really want to touch it directly. If _the_ Lei Magnus had written it, heaven only knows what evil spells were in there. Millennia before her time, the great sorcerer had revived a piece of Shabrinigdu, the Dark Lord. He was among the most powerful, if not the most heinous of sorcerers, of all time. (Next to Lina, of course).

Amelia shuddered to think of what havoc Lina could wreak on the world if she got her hands on this book. The Book of Spells was in the capable hands of Amelia now. She looked down at the book and back at the place where she had retrieved. Half of her instinctively ordered the return of the book to its hiding place. Most likely, the goddess statute had protective powers that could shield the book from detection by magic wielding humans, or even the _mazoku_. The evil race, or demons, would likely be interested in this book as well. The other half of her beckoned her to return to her chambers, and take the book with her. Curiosity burned in her chest. In the end, Amelia gave in to the latter.

As she turned to go, Amelia noticed another book in the compartment. It was smaller, newer, and bound in shiny black leather. She took this hastily out and stepped on the lever on the floor to close the compartment at the base of the marble statue. In the light, she thought she saw the statue looking down on her disapprovingly. Amelia backed away slowly and retreated towards to the entrance at a rushed pace, skipping steps but willing herself not to run.

_It's only a statue!_ she thought, trying to reassure her loudly beating heart. Quickly, Amelia waved a hand towards the wall sconce she had lit and whispered, _"Balus wall."_ A quick gust of wind emerged from her hand and blew out the flame, traveling along the wall to douse all the lights. The room was dark again, but somehow, Amelia could still feel the statue's eyes on her. She hurried out of the open window and jumped out. "_Levitation!"_ she called out and her fall immediately stopped, and she floated up onto the roof of the castle. The books were nicely hidden in the folds of her skirts as two soldiers approached her on their afternoon watch and bowed politely towards their princess. Amelia nodded and watched them go back down the guard's staircase down to the next floors. She darted past the greenhouse and entered the unlocked double glass doors into the solarium, where she knew she wouldn't be disturbed, closing and locking the doors behind her.

Sitting in a window alcove, with the sun lighting her lap, she opened the smaller, unmarked black book first. Nothing was written on the cover flap, but on the next page, in what she knew to be her mother's handwriting, were the words, "Book of Days." It was a diary. Thrilled to find something of her mother's that her sister Gracia hadn't pilfered and taken with her or hidden away from her younger sister, Amelia gingerly turned to the first entry.

A large sweat drop formed on her forehead.

"April 22, Year of the Chrysanthemum. Weather: sunny with partial clouds. Wind: calm. Time: half past noon.

THAT BRATTY LORD NIGEL SAID SOME VERY UNFRIENDLY THINGS TODAY! THAT SON OF A PIG! #&&! IF I COULD GET MY HANDS ON HIS SKINNY LITTLE NECK, I'D SHOVE A #& UP HIS #& AND THEN !&&# HIS !#&!… IF HIS FATHER WASN'T IMORTANT TO PHIL, I'D WRING HIS LITTLE !&#! AND HANG IT UP TO DRY! CAMEL DUNG!"

"My goodness," sighed Amelia, closing the diary again and hanging her head low in a very defeated manner. "I really am my mother's daughter…." She set this book aside and looked at the older, larger book. Not really wanting to touch it with her hands, Amelia got up and retrieved a pair of instrument cleaning gloves from a nearby shelf. Amelia picked up the Book of Spells and blew away at more of the cobwebs still clinging to it. There was dust in every crevice of the cover and the edges were already quite worn. Carefully, she opened the front cover to the first flap and blew away the dust in there as well. Swatting away the little cloud of mold and dust particles from her face, Amelia peered down at the writing on the flap.

Written on the front flap, in various writing styles with different quill tips and flourishes were names in the following order;

_Lei Magnus  
Rezo, Red Priest  
Lucia Inverse  
Genevieve El Dia Seiyruun,  
Gracia Ul Naga Seiyruun, &  
Amelia Wil Tesla Seiyruun._

She nearly dropped the book again in shock. Not only did the book once belong to the infamous Lei Magnus, the infamous Rezo, The Red Priest--Zelgadis' great great grandfather, perused it.

"Inverse?" asked Amelia to herself. She knew Lina had an older sister Luna, who was supposedly scarier than even Amelia's sister. But was Lucia their mother, perhaps? Or grandmother? She ran her fingers across the last three names. Now this book was hers. Her mother had lovingly written Gracia and Amelia's names as well.

Amelia turned to the next page and a folded piece of paper slipped out onto her lap. Putting the book aside for the moment, she opened the folded paper to read a message, also in her mother's handwriting.

"_To my daughters, Gracia and Ame-chan:  
With power comes great responsibility. Though the book is old, do not judge it by its dusty cover. Here is the source of all the spells I know, and some spells I dare not cast, and more spells I have not had time to read. May the magic passed through my blood make you strong, to protect your father and to serve the Kingdom. G.S._"

Amelia's vision blurred. This was the only message she had ever received from her mother and she held it close to her chest in a tight embrace. "Mama," she whispered as her dress absorbed her falling tears. "Gracia's gone, Mama. It's just me now."

Amelia heard footsteps. They were lighter than those of the armored guards and she concluded that it must be some of her servants, or her ladies in waiting looking for her. Wiping her puffy face with a sleeve, Amelia took the books in her arms and silently retreated back out the glass double doors. Just as she went over the side of the castle, she heard heeled shoes coming into the room. Amelia realized that she couldn't shirk away her duties forever, and she would have to go back to help her father prepare for her coming of age ball at the end of next week, and thought hard for a hiding place for the books in the meantime as she floated down towards her balcony again. The doors were open again, as the chambermaids had just finished watering her plants and sweeping the floor. Some of the rugs were waving hello in the breeze after being draped over the side of the balcony rail for airing. Quickly, she entered her room and looked around. Amelia found the loose stone floor tile in her chamber floor and wiggled it free. There was just enough space. She placed the books in a carved wooden box with a lid and slid the box into place. Silently, she drew an invisible protection ward on the floor with her finger at all four corners of the hole to prevent detection. Amelia pushed the heavy stone tile to cover the hiding place and pulled the corner a nearby floor rug over it. Just as she was standing over the spot to admire her handiwork, she heard footsteps behind her.

"There you are, your Highness," sighed her head lady in waiting with exasperation. "Your father has been looking for you to discuss the menu and the entertainment for the ball. We haven't even decided on what you're going to wear to your party! And the seamstresses have just come to take your measurements, but you weren't in. So they'll have to come back later tonight, if you don't mind," said her lady in waiting in one breath. "Your father's just finishing up this afternoon's throne hall session. You might be able to catch the rest of it if you hurry!"

"Oh, joy," said Amelia with an intended lack of enthusiasm.

"Come now, Highness. You are training to be our next Queen, after all," she suggested gently.

"Why does Gracia get to get out of it?" sighed Amelia as her lady clucked her tongue at the state of Amelia's dress. The question was really just rhetorical. No one really answered her whenever she asked about her sister. It came to be that Amelia would only mention Gracia when she was frustrated with her official duties, or the politics, pomp and circumstance of court life. Still, most people, even the servants, avoided the topic. Many said that Gracia had gone quite mad when she ran away from home, wearing nothing but her mother's bikini. Again, Amelia was too young to remember it.

Two others came in to help get the Princess dressed in something more befitting a Princess. A servant came in with a washcloth and bowl remove the dirty smudges from her face and hands. She let her lady in waiting spin her around to face her dressing mirror and a thick red ribbon was loosely tied horizontally across her chest. This ribbon was for official business only and she wore it only when she was seen in public in the throne hall. Where the ends met, a large broach with her family crest, a winged white serpent over the coat of arms, pinned the ribbon in place.

"What on earth have you been doing in that other dress? Climbing through air vents? And what did you do with your tiara?" asked her lady in waiting in a huff. She frantically began searching the room for it.

"How will you be presentable without a tiara? And there are so many gentlemen waiting for you down below!" she exclaimed excitedly.

"I'm sorry, _what_?" asked Amelia, coming back from her momentary mental lapse whenever her lady in waiting continued to talk incessantly.

"The Prince has alerted the neighboring duchies and kingdoms of your ball. The guests have started arriving since this morning. Ah! There's your tiara. Really, Highness, you shouldn't just toss it aside like garbage. You might chip it! Anyway, there are several eligible bachelors who are dying to make your acquaintance! But you must be _presentable_," she said as she pinned the tiara back into Amelia's hair.

"Why _are_ your fingers so dirty?" clucked the older woman pushing the servant aside. She found a pair of long gloves and slipped them onto Amelia's hands. Then, Amelia was escorted, no, ushered, out into the hall where her two other ladies in waiting were ready to accompany her into the throne hall.

"Her Highness, Amelia Wil Tesla Seiyruun," announced the court crier. A buzz of conversation floated through the hall as Amelia walked across the floor to her father's throne dais, head held high and face expressionless. Out of habit, she told her self to step carefully and not to trip. Despite her tendencies for being extremely clumsy, she never tripped in the throne hall, when everyone important was watching and scrutinizing her every move.

"Amelia, there you are!" said her father cheerfully, making a show of it to those within hearing distance. Her father really did know her well, and the look in his eye did note that he had been worried about her. Phil would rather not press the crown upon his favorite daughter, but with no other heir to speak of, Amelia was now the Crown Princess. There was no other way around it.

"Lord Fargus, Prince Jared, and Lord Remy have just made our acquaintance. They hail from the nearby Duchy of Kal-ma'art, the Kingdom of Zefielia, and the Alliance." All three bowed politely towards Amelia. She wondered if they were disappointed that she was not as tall as her sister or mother. They weren't really lookers, either. Lord Fargus was short and a little stout. Lord Remy was thin with spindly legs and smelled heavily of perfume. Prince Jared was handsome, with a cropped coif of golden hair, but he wore a silly grin on his face that made his eyes squinty. Her short-cropped hair did make her look a bit more childish than mature. Amelia dropped a polite curtsey, without another word. If she weren't already in public, and the eyes of the Court watching her every move, she would not have given any of them the time of day. Her heart was untouchable, as it wasn't even here. She had given it away one morning in June, nearly two years ago.

"My good sirs," said Phil, clearing his throat. "You must be tired from your journey."

"Well, not really," interjected Lord Remy. "My state is actually quite close—"

"Nevertheless," suggested the Prince. "Let my servants take you to your rooms to allow you some time to rest, and freshen up. Refreshments will be served to you up there as well. Shall we dine together later tonight?"

"Oh, yes, let's do!" exclaimed Lord Remy, clapping his hands excitedly. Large sweat drops formed on Phil, Amelia, Fargus and Jared's foreheads. Amelia thought Remy rather a pansy. Lord Fargus agreed and bowed politely before a servant let him to his chambers upstairs. Prince Jared, however, held out his hand to Amelia. This rather surprised her, and not knowing what was to come next, she offered her hand as well. Prince Jared suddenly lost the squinty look as he took her hand gently in his and brushed his lips over the top of her glove. Amelia turned bright red.

"Until then, Princess," he smiled. Something in Amelia's chest fluttered. All of the sudden, her corset felt too tight and the Hall became rather stuffy.

"Um, sure," replied Amelia, not knowing what else to say. She was quite embarrassed now, as everyone was murmuring about what had just happened. He smiled back at her. There was a look in his pale blue eyes that showed great amusement.


	5. Canticle of Romance

Chapter 4: Canticle of Romance

The day before her coming of age ball, or the _Princess-Palooza Extravaganza_ as it was being advertised throughout the kingdom and the neighboring lands, Amelia didn't get a chance to continue her perusal of the Book of Spells or her mother's diary. Her time was completely consumed by dress fittings (her father insisting that she have at least three different gowns just in case something happens to the first two—knowing how clumsy Amelia could be when nervous it was probably a wise decision), menu planning, dancing lessons, as well as watching tournaments and visiting the carnival stands with her three esteemed suitors.

This was not inclusive of her usual duties of sitting in on council meetings and throne hall sessions with her father. Most painful of all, every evening her father insisted that they dine with Lords Fargus and Remy, Prince Jared, Lord Nigel and other council members. The only time she had a quiet moment of repose was the half hour before supper, right after her ladies in waiting dressed her, and before the usual two hour dining session began. She was quite sure that they would manage to fatten up Lord Remy in no time as the guests continued to be very well fed since the moment they arrived in Seiyruun.

Sitting down by the marble edge of a fountain filled with white water lilies, Amelia sighed with relief as her hand played on surface of the water. She had ordered all of her ladies in waiting to entertain her guests in the meantime, and not far away through the stained glass windows of the guest lounge on the first floor, she could hear the ongoing laughter and twittering. Dressed in a demure, rose colored dress of silk and chiffon, she sat entranced by the musical sound of the trickling water.

"Princess Amelia," said a voice behind her. She turned to see Prince Jared step out on the gravel floor from behind a hedge. Amelia didn't particularly want to see or speak to him at this moment, but she knew it would be rude of her to request that he step back behind the hedge, or go back from whence he came.

"Prince Jared," said Amelia unfeelingly, looking away and pretending to be examining the water lilies.

"Oh come now, Your Highness. Why so glum? Is it because I haven't been paying my complete attentions to you?" he asked cheerfully as he sat down beside her.

"Not at all, I assure you," said Amelia behind gritted teeth and a false smile, scooting further away.

"Then, pray tell, what troubles our charming little princess this evening?" he asked. Amelia looked at Jared, and just as she was about to tell him it was none of his business, she stopped short when she realized how close his face was to hers. There was something unnerving about how he grinned—much like the face of a lion before he devoured his prey. His eyes became squinty and jovial but everything about him cried false. Prince Jared was not someone she would entirely trust under any circumstance.

"It is unladylike for a princess to divulge her troubles onto mere acquaintances, Your Highness," replied Amelia quietly. She started leaning away from him to put more space between them. But Prince Jared took her hand in one of his and stroked it tenderly with the other.

"Dear princess Amelia. What must I do to penetrate that cold, untouched virgin heart of yours?" he smiled and kissed her hand.

"That is beyond _your_ capabilities," responded Amelia icily. She reclaimed her hand to prevent getting any more drool on her gloves than necessary and scooted further away from him along the smooth marble rim of the fountain. Like a beast on the prowl, Prince Jared eased closer to her by leaning forward and maneuvering himself with his hands and arms along the fountain's edge. As Prince Jared leaned forward to kiss her and Amelia was ready to either turn her cheek or shove him away with all her might, she heard footsteps on the gravel path behind the hedge. The sound distracted Amelia for a second, giving the prince the full opportunity to kiss her on the lips. Amelia's eyes went wide in shock and she glared at him when his lips touched hers, and with one swift movement, her arm swung wide, impacting with his arm and throwing him off balance. Most of him went into the fountain with a loud "splash."

Immediately Amelia stood up rather rigidly and looked around to see if anyone was watching. Several people came out of the dining hall to see what was the matter. A few of them helped Prince Jared out. He had his usual grin on his face and laughed offhandedly.

"Must've slipped," he exclaimed jovially with a careless laugh. The others laughed as well and servants offered him some towels to dry himself off. Then, a castle guard came from around the hedge and approached her with a bow.

"Master Zelgadis Greywords, Your Highness." A familiar white clad hooded figure stepped out onto the gravel path.

"Zelgadis-san!" cried Amelia in surprise. She rushed towards him in a blur of rose silk and chiffon carried by quick footsteps over the gravel, and took both his hands in hers. Zel was surprised by her enthusiasm, and as he stepped back, his hood fell back.

"Oh my, Zelgadis-san! I didn't think I'd see you so _soon_!" said Amelia cheerfully. "Though it _has _been two years, hasn't it? As you see, we are just going to have supper, but you may join us if it pleases you. You must tell me everything that you have been doing, and do not spare the details! But, to be sure, you must save all of the interesting stories for my father. He is eager to see you as well, I am certain of it. But here I am chattering away," she said in one breath. She pulled away from him and snapped her fingers at the servants to carry his traveling bags.

"Come, Zelgadis-san, you must be tired. We'll get you some refreshments," she added as she led him with one hand back towards the castle interior. Zelgadis was amazed that she didn't need to breathe during that entire last paragraph. But there was also something wrong. He couldn't put his finger on it but Amelia was being too bubbly, even for Amelia.

"Your Highness," called out Prince Jared after her. Amelia turned around to see the soggy prince make a slight bow to her. "We'll continue our conversation later, at dinner. But for now, I think I need a change of clothes," he said with his usual unaffected grin. Zelgadis was startled by the look in Amelia's eyes. She looked as though she was either about to kill someone or burst into tears. Amelia said nothing, and turned on her heel heading back towards the castle, pulling Zelgadis behind her. He was a bit uncertain as to why they had so suddenly exited that scene, but he was feeling very self-conscious as his rough, gnarled hand was held firm in her delicate gloved one.

Once they were back inside and completely alone near the main staircase, Amelia turned to him as they were walking.

"I'm sorry to use you as an excuse to leave that scene just now, Zelgadis-san. If I had stayed any longer, blood might have been spilled," she laughed spitefully. "But if I could impose upon you further…Do you have a handkerchief I can borrow?" she asked politely. Zelgadis offered her a clean white handkerchief from his pocket and she began to wipe her mouth furiously with it. The cloth was instantly stained with her lip color and make-up.

"Amelia—" began Zelgadis, suddenly realizing what had happened to her at the fountain and why Prince Jared had fallen into it. He stopped, and because their hands were still joined, Amelia stopped as well after she felt the tug of his dead weight at the other end.

"I can't believe he did that. If no one else was watching I would have blasted him with a _burst rondo_," she said quietly.

"Amelia," he said gently, feeling himself dislike Prince Jared, though a complete stranger, more and more. Amelia turned around and looked up at him desperately.

"A girl's first kiss is supposed to be special!" she lamented. "Not casually thrown away to a grinning idiot like him!" Amelia sighed in defeat and stared at the floor. Zel was feeling more and more uneasy as he didn't know how to comfort her or what to do next. He only stepped closer, and this gave her the opportunity to wrap her arms around his waist and bury her face in his chest.

"W-wait, Amelia," he said, startled at her actions. Though it was not unpleasant to him he looked around to see if anyone was watching. Her reputation would certainly be affected if someone saw her hugging a golem.

"It didn't mean anything. But he's not the one I wanted to give my first kiss to," she squeaked in a half whine half muffled lamentation against his shirt. Zelgadis blushed and tried to gently nudge her away but Amelia only held him harder.

"Just a few more seconds like this, Zelgadis-san," she whispered. His arms went limp and he sighed, succumbing to the princess' order. It suddenly occurred to him that in the past two years without her friends, Amelia must have been very lonely. Without him even realizing it, his hands reached up toward her shoulders. But just as they were about to touch her, he pulled them back.

"I'm okay, now," said Amelia, pulling away from him with a smile. He felt that the usual Amelia had returned again with that expression. "Sorry about that," she said and straightened out her dress.

"Where have you been all this time?" she asked, truly curious about the outside world.

"Wandering here and there. I was last in Lyzeille, in the city of Krimzon. It was really raining there. For days and days I trudged through muddy trails and roads. It took me forever to get my boots clean," he smiled. Zel was surprised that he could talk so easily with her, despite the fact that he hadn't spoken with her in nearly two years. Besides, Zelgadis was not an easy conversationalist. Even when he was traveling with Amelia, he would let her do most of the talking, she enjoyed it so much, especially when he was her only audience. It often took much effort from him to speak on this social level. But now, her interest in everything he said, on topics that took her far away from her royal life, and the light it brought to her face, somehow made it worth the effort.

"Any word on Lina-san and Gourry-san? Do you know what they're up to? They never write," she sighed. Gourry was probably the only one who would ever take the time to write to her, but then again, he was such a dunce that the words would probably all be spelled wrong and it would take him forever to just get a letter out. She laughed a little as she tried to picture it and a large bead of sweat formed on her forehead.

"Didn't you know," said Zel. "Lina and Gourry are soon to be married." Amelia stopped dead in her tracks.

"WHAT?" she exclaimed, eyes going wide as she nearly tripped over her own feet.

"Just kidding," smirked Zelgadis. Amelia's face froze. Did Zelgadis just crack a joke? He was smirking at her. Something in him had changed these past two years. He had become kinder. She playfully punched him on the arm in retaliation at having her naïveté being made fun of at her own expense, but sucked in her breath from the pain and realized it was never wise to punch a rock.

"Amelia," he said in an admonishing tone. "You know better than to do that." Then he paused and a looked of concern touched his face. "Does it really hurt?" he asked, taking her hand in his and gently rubbing her fingers.

"I'm okay," she grinned, tears coming to her eyes. She looked so funny that he chuckled. Amelia paused and noted, "You're laughing."

"I can't help it. You're look so ridiculous sometimes," he said, his face becoming stoic again.

"Well, I'm sorry if I'm ridiculous," she grumbled to herself, starting off towards the staircase and his guest chamber. On their way, they ran into her chambermaid and one lady in waiting, and Amelia instructed them to bring several sets of evening attire to his room so that he could join them for dinner.

In his room, Zelgadis tried on the first outfit but made a face as he looked at himself in the mirror. The colors were too bright, and the material too fine. Though a golem dressed as a fop was an interesting topic of conversation at the dinner table, Zel didn't want to be the butt of their jokes. Tossing that aside he looked at what else the ladies had brought for him. He wanted to wear his traveling clothes again, but they had already claimed it for the laundry mistress. It was still rather speckled with mud from traveling. In the end, Zel tried a combination for the minimalist effect. A long pair of trousers with shiny black, silver tipped boots that were surprisingly comfortable, a white, long sleeve button up shirt with minimal ruffles at the collar and cuffs was what he settled for. Combined with a simple light blue crushed velvet jacket with tails, Zel looked at himself in the mirror and shrugged. It was as good as it was going to get.

He recalled a time, long ago when he was still "working" for his great great grandfather, and before he had been transformed by his great great grandfather into what he is now, Zelgadis recalled evenings when The Red Priest would be invited to various balls and parties to commemorate all the good works performed all over the countryside by the sorcerer. He would accompany Rezo as a young boy, dressed up in frills and gold trim. He was noble born, after all. Zelgadis laughed in spite of himself. He had been a rather vain person in his youth, and this vanity was perhaps his downfall. But had he not been transformed into the monster that he was now, he doubted that he would be as strong. Zelgadis knew that he would not have been able to protect Amelia as well as he had in the past, had Rezo not given him this extra "power." A slight knocking at his chamber door interrupted his thoughts.

"Zelgadis-san, are you ready?" asked Amelia from behind it.

"Yeah," he answered, checking his gleaming, clean, wiry hair one last time in the mirror before he went to the door to open it.

Amelia's eyes went wide as she looked at him from head to toe. She let out a little giggle of delight as she walked around him and marveled at how well the attire suited him. Amelia took his hands in hers in a very happy, carefree manner and beamed at him. _That's right_, thought Zel to himself, feeling the color rise in his cheeks. "_She doesn't mind what I am_."

The topic of conversation at the dinner table on the second floor dining room circumvented around the newest dinner guest. Zelgadis mostly answered questions about what he had seen abroad, over the sea and beyond. He also fielded questions about the infamous Lina Inverse, who was a mystery to most people. Amelia had point blank refused to divulge much about Lina, slightly embarrassed to reveal stories about destruction and devastation people doled out in her wake. Out of loyalty to Lina, she seldom went into great detail about her past adventures with the infamous sorceress. Philionel was delighted that Zelgadis had returned and continued to order the servants to pour him more wine. Zel was wondering what his ulterior motives were, but continued to drink.

Zel sat in between Prince Jared and Amelia, who sat on Phil's right. On Phil's left were other councilors, their wives and Lord Nigel. Beyond that were the other guests, seeming enjoying themselves with the stories, food and conversation. Though Phil was quite certain now that he wouldn't be able to give Amelia away in marriage to any one of the nobles, he was glad they were at least having fun as he didn't want to wine and dine them for nothing, he would at least want them to sign a few trading treaties before they left.

The only person not having fun apparently was Prince Jared. He was not at all impressed with Zelgadis and he was mostly silent through the evening. Just as the party was leaving the dinner table to retire to the library for some dessert refreshments and for some music from the court string quartet, Zelgadis excused himself. Just as he was going to return to his chambers, a hand on his shoulder stopped him.

"Zelgadis, where are you going? The night is young, yet," smirked Prince Jared. Zel turned to face him with his usual stoic expression.

"Ah, what's with that look?" said Jared with mock astonishment. "Just because you're made of stone doesn't mean that you have to look like a stoic figurine," he smiled. There was something in his grinning face that didn't appeal to Zelgadis at all.

"Remove your hand or I'll rip it off," said Zelgadis coolly.

"Really, such manners!" said Jared in feigned shock, hastily removing his hand. "One would question your upbringing." After a pause, he added, "I really don't know what she sees in you."

"Neither do I," he responded, and exited the room. Amelia, who overheard that conversation, followed soon afterwards, ignoring Prince Jared completely.

"Zelgadis-san!" she called out after him. He turned to see her pretty face up close to his chest, slightly flushed from running after him. Whether the wine had loosened him up or whether he was too tired to care, Zelgadis touched her face with the tips of his rough fingers.

"I had a good time, Amelia. Thanks for inviting me," he said. Surprised at his gesture, she turned red and stared at the floor. For a moment, she didn't know what to say.

"Zelgadis-san," she whispered. Amelia looked up and Zelgadis was taken aback by the look in her eyes. In one swift movement, before he could protest, she stood up on the tips of her toes and quickly leaned in to kiss him gently on the lips. Zel was flattered and shocked all at once. But mostly, he was beet red.

"G-good night," he stammered and mechanically turned and hastily walked away. Amelia laughed a little before she returned to her own quarters with a flush in her cheeks and a little song on her lips.

* * *

Author's Note: Go Amelia, Go! After a long, long hiatus, I've decided to pick up this story again, clean it up and take it further. It really has a good premise and I'm glad I wrote it this far. The next chapter is still in development, so thanks for being patient. Thanks for reading!

--Kero. (9/3/07)


	6. Close to You

Chapter 5: Close To You

_Was that my first kiss_? he asked himself as he lay with hands folded behind his head on the large bed in one of the many guest chambers of the castle. From outside his open terrace doors a slight breeze picked up the sheer curtains and they billowed into the room like hems of a lady's dress. Without thinking, his hand touched his lips where Amelia had kissed him. He could feel his cheeks grow warmer. It was a very pleasant feeling. Zelgadis shook off the image of the delicate girl with the flushed cheeks leaning up to touch his lips with her own, and pushed away the recollection of how soft those lips were. Zel got up and headed straight for the washbasin to splash cold water on his face; after all, he _was_ still a man under the golem exterior. But he simply didn't have time for this.

He threw himself back onto the bed. Zelgadis stared mindlessly at the plastered ceiling and started to doze while he waited a few more hours until most of the castle fell silent. The only sound was that of the crickets in the gardens below his window and the occasional clanking of armored guards patrolling the halls outside. Philionel and his guests would have retired for the night by now, and the servants should have returned to their quarters since it was a little past midnight. He found a long, dark cloak in the armoire and draped it over his head and shoulders to help him blend into the night.

Creeping into the hallway he noticed a thin streak of light coming from underneath the heavy door across the hall from him. There were still animated voices coming from within that guest chamber. He recognized one of the voices belonging to Prince Jared. As he passed by soundlessly, he couldn't help hearing a few snippets of the conversation.

"The princess is really a peach," purred Jared. "It's unfortunate that none of the suitors are good enough in her eyes. It seems that her tastes go toward the morbidly stoic and slightly monstrous. I mean, what _is _that new guest, anyhow? Did you notice how familiar she was with him? Her tastes probably mirror her mother's. Phil is a bit of an ogre himself, isn't he?"

"You must do better to persuade her," said an unfamiliar voice.

"I tried that at the fountain today, remember? I didn't dare go any further than that. I can tell that the girl has some power in her. If I did something outrageous I'm certain that she'd do more than soak me," sighed Jared.

"There's _always_ plan B," said the other voice. "If Amelia won't have you willingly then we must resort to other means."

Jared chuckled.

There was something unsettling and almost sinister the way the two men were plotting against Amelia in that room. Zelgadis clenched his teeth and fists but walked on. As he stole his way towards the library, avoiding the guards here and there and ducking when the shadow of a servant came near, he cleared a part of his mind and let it wander. What were they planning for her? Should he stay to keep an eye on them? Was he just going to take the book and then disappear? Was he going to ask Phil to borrow it? Was he going to stay and try to protect Amelia until her coming of age ceremony was over? Being a noble himself, he was well aware of the many rules that royalty had, stepping-stones on the way to the throne. Amelia most likely needed to choose a consort soon. If these clownish suitors were not good enough for her, she may have one forced on her by the council. The chances of finding someone who was her equal, who understood her and on top of that stood with her on the issues when the Council was against her would be somewhere between slim and none. Because of Gracia, Amelia's fate looked grimmer the more he thought of it. Who was going to take care of her now that her sister and Lina were gone?

_Please take care of her._

"Impossible," muttered Zel to himself as he arrived at his destination in front of the library. The little slip of paper Naga had left was still in his travel bag. For whatever reason, he didn't throw it away. Sometimes, he did such senseless things even he could not comprehend his own actions. Another such time was when he, Lina and the others were fighting Shabranigdu, and because he enjoyed her smile, or perhaps her laugh, or maybe both, he guarded Amelia, which nearly got him killed when she failed to dodge an attack. He had actually done this several times in his recollection, with Copy Rezo and with Valgaav, and each time, he nearly met his end in exchange that she be spared. Every time he reflected on his actions, they made less sense to him. Hadn't he always been a loner? Was he trying to be noble? He was resigned in the end, as always, to not think about it so much.

His friends were his most precious commodities, after all. Zel had learned this while traveling with them. Rationally speaking, she was of course included in this group. But then again, sometimes while he was traveling alone and stargazing as he camped out in the wilderness, or when his hand accidentally brushed against the charm she had given him, Zelgadis' mind would wander again; and he often pictured Amelia as a delicate flower growing in a garden of weeds. She was strong and frail at the same time, and in the moments when she was at her most fragile someone needed to protect her. Someone needed to be close to her.

"I hope you find someone like that, Amelia," he whispered to no one in particular. His stony hands pushed the tall, polished doors of the library open. A very slight creak sounded through the hall, and Zel quickly slipped inside as a pair of guards turned the corner towards him. He let out a sigh of relief and summoned a light orb in his hand. He doused the light when he realized that he was not alone. Using the tall bookshelves as cover, Zelgadis snuck through the rows of shelves and books, weaving a zigzag pattern between them until he was closer to the source of the light in the center of the library. A tall candelabrum sat atop a long row of tables and chairs, the main reading area of the extensive library, and a spray of books were scattered across the face of the polished wood table. They lay propped up, faced down and open on top of one another in no particular order. Apparently, Zel wasn't the only one intending to study tonight. Small footsteps returned to the light and Zel retreated into the shadows once more. He was surprised to see Amelia yawning and scratching a spot on her scalp just below the band of her tiara as she sat down in one of the chairs. The only sound in the library was the sound of her pen scratching against parchment with one hand and pages of books flipping endlessly with the other.

"I wish I had paid more attention during rune lessons," she sighed and put her pen down, rubbing her tired eyes. Zelgadis tried to refrain from chuckling but inadvertently let out a little noise.

"Who's there?" asked Amelia, standing up at once. Zel stepped out from the shadows and tossed his hood back.

"Zelgadis-san?" she asked, astonished. "What are _you_ doing here?"

"I was going to ask you the same thing," he smiled.

"I asked first," she said.

"Does it surprise you that I'm lurking through your father's collection to see if they have a book of transformation spells?" he asked.

"Not really," she smiled. "My father's magic book collection is very thorough. To save you some time, it's against the back wall."

"What's your excuse for being here when you should be sleeping for your big day tomorrow?" he sighed.

"I was…um…studying runes," she answered in a rather delayed fashion. Zel walked over to the table and peered into her notes.

"There are other ways to help yourself fall asleep you know. I hear that counting sheep can be useful," he smiled wryly. He went across the table and eyed a few of the opened pages. "These are very ancient runes. What sort of spell requires such level of decoding?" he asked, truly curious. Amelia hastily closed her notes. He looked at her questioningly.

"Something you can't share with me?" he asked, a little hurt.

"N-No, it isn't that I _can't_ share it with you…" her voice trailed. "I'm not sure if you would be interested. It's kind of personal and I don't know if you want to be involved."

He walked over to her noiselessly, and, as if it had a mind of its own, the back of his hand touched the softness of her cheek. Amelia blushed. A whirl of thoughts reigned over her mind as she looked into his eyes, more tender than she ever recalled them to be. Had absence made his heart grow fonder of her? Had she been too forward with her kiss?

"Zelgadis-san…" she whispered. This newer version of Zel was mysterious and exciting and she hoped that somewhere in the tiniest corner of his heart something was stirring.

"If it concerns you, then yes, I'd like to be involved," he answered honestly. The urge to protect her sprung up so suddenly that even he was surprised.

"Zelgadis-san," her lips moved to mouth his name but no sound came out. He leaned down closer so that she could hear him whisper, a little awkwardly, "That was…my first kiss."

Her eyes went wide. "I-I'm sorry," she stammered. "I didn't mean to…"

"Don't say that," said Zelgadis. "Don't regret it. I rather enjoyed it," he said shyly, unable to meet her eyes.

"Really?" she asked in a timid voice. He nodded once in the affirmative, still unable to see the hope in her that lit up like a bonfire.

"I'm so glad," breathed Amelia in relief. "I thought you would be angry with me since you left in such a hurry. But I guess you were just embarrassed?"

Zel coughed nervously. "Now can you tell me what these runes are all about?"

"My mother, Lady Genevieve, left a diary. The last entry is not complete. It is dated the same day she suddenly died," said Amelia, her voice trailing away as if she was trying to recall that very day, though Zel imagined that she couldn't have been more than two years old at the time.

"Strangely enough, Mom had a very good understanding of ancient runes. Growing up, my father told me that she had only been an average sorceress with limited talent. But now, I see that I may have been misled. There is a passage in ancient runes that I can't make out. I feel that if can translate it, I might be that much closer to revealing a mystery. But then again, it may not have any connection whatsoever to her death. I just can't shake this feeling that I need to know what it says. Papa would be angry if he knew what I was trying to do. That's why I couldn't sleep," she laughed a little, in spite of herself. Zel collected a book on rune translation, a book on decoding runes, and a book of translated old rune spells into the crook of one arm, and her parchment notes in the other hand.

"You have a long day tomorrow, remember? It's something about a huge party for you if I recall correctly. I'm just a guest here and I don't need to be anywhere tomorrow. Let me look into this and you get some rest."

"But I—" she began.

"What?" he asked gently.

"I thought we could work together," she said quietly.

"Silly," he admonished. "You can't have bags under your eyes tomorrow, right? No amount of make up can keep your eyes open for you. Let me do this." He started walking towards the door.

"But I—" she began again.

"Yes?" he asked, pausing and turning back to look at her. She looked very uncertain of herself at that moment, as if she was resisting the urge to speak but the words were spilling from her lips.

"I want to be…closer to you…since I haven't seen you for a while…" Her voice became smaller and smaller as the last sentence came to a close and even in the dim light he could tell she was flushed with embarrassment. Zelgadis was glad that his skin tone still hid the deep color that came to his face.

He was thoughtfully silent as he looked away and stared at nothing in particular. In fact, they were both not staring at anything in particular in that discomfited moment. After a while he responded, "Why don't you go to bed and I'll work at your writing desk while you sleep?" He could see the shining brightness of her smile even in dimness. She uttered no response but with candelabrum in hand she led the way back along the most direct route to the royal apartments.

000

Zelgadis worked silently at Amelia's desk while the sleeping princess curled up underneath her blankets in a fetal position on her massive bed. But for the tuft of dark hair on the clean white linen pillows it was difficult to tell that anyone was sleeping amid that mass of soft down blankets and fluffy pillows and cushions. Without even realizing it, he continued his work with a smile touching both sides of his mouth. Amelia had the happy talent of enjoying what she ate until she was full, and falling asleep when her head touched a pillow.

As he continued to work in this fashion towards dawn, he noticed a pink strip of cloth sticking out from a small wooden box in one corner of her desk. As he reached over to push it back and clear more working space for himself his hand accidentally knocked over a leather-bound book propped up next to it. The book fell over and knocked the box to one side with a loud clatter. He held the book and box in place and took a quick glance at Amelia. Fortunately, she was still sleeping like the dead.

_That girl can sleep through anything,_ he mused. Zel recalled a particular incident involving one of Lina's spells gone awry that turned Gourry into a gorilla who then proceeded to tromp through the entire inn in which they were staying that night, turning everything upside down; and still, Amelia had slept undisturbed into the morning.

He lay the book down to prevent any further mishaps when he noticed a length of braided, wiry hair had slipped out from its pages. Upon closer examination he realized that this was a lock of his own hair. Instantly reaching up to feel any part of his head which might now be bald, he was reassured when he felt nothing was missing.

_When had she…?_ he thought to himself. Thinking back to their latter days of traveling together, there was an incident involving Lina, Gourry, an argument between the two and a boiling pot of particularly sticky sap needed for a magic potion flying through the air. Though he had managed to dodge most of it, as did Amelia, Filia had to clip away some of his hair as it could not be washed out. He opened the book to return the bookmark but noticed his name on one of the pages. The well-trained cursive writing was obviously hers. This was her journal. His eyes glanced over the open page and caught the last paragraph.

_…Sometimes I wonder, on quiet nights such as this when all in the castle is asleep except for my pen and this candle, where he is wandering. If I did not have my obligations, I might just emulate Gracia and disappear in search of him. It gives me comfort to know that somewhere under this same sky he might be sleeping out in some field or forest, or tending a campfire to keep warm. He still has my charm bracelet. Zelgadis-san can be a world away but we are still connected by that, at least. I am comforted. Though I cannot travel with him any longer, the charm makes me feel as though I can still be close to him…_

Zelgadis truly struggled to close the journal and read no further into someone else's private thoughts and propped it up as it was before he knocked it over. It would be very ungentlemanly to read on. Though he already knew that Amelia harbored a deep affection for him it gave him pleasure to read her words, as if she was directly confessing to him—something she had not yet done. He looked over again at Amelia's sleeping form. He could not tell if the idea of this lonely princess in her lonely room on a lonely night who entertained herself while thinking of him was altogether a pleasant notion. There was something extremely unsatisfying about it.

000

As the sun rose to greet him through her terrace doors Zelgadis stretched and yawned. Amelia had already begun to stir. Looking down on the parchment where he had taken notes into the night, he had deciphered most of the runes in the passage of Queen Genevieve's journal. Some of the runes were completely unknown to any of the books, however, and Zel wondered if they had come from a time when before the Great Barrier had been set in place. From when he could tell though, the Queen spoke of a rival and of poison, and she feared for the safety of her daughters. What interested him particularly was the reference to a "dark book," which Zelgadis hoped was the same book he was looking for.

Amelia rose and stretched. The sleeves of her nightgown bundled down to her elbows revealing the soft undersides of her arms. Zelgadis looked away.

"Zelgadis-san," have you made any progress?" she asked. He walked over and handed her the results of his work. She rubbed the sleep out of one eye and then proceeded to study it carefully.

"Who is this rival that she speaks of?" she asked. "I wonder if my father knows."

"Shouldn't you be getting ready for the day?" he asked curiously. "I on the other hand should probably leave before someone sees me."

She blushed. "I'm not sure how my father would take it if someone told him that they saw you come out of my room this early in the morning…"

"Exactly," he said, getting up to leave.

"Thank you," she added hastily. "For helping me, and staying with me…"

"Don't mention it," he replied with a tired smile. "But there is a favor in return that I would ask of you."

"What can I do?" she asked, getting out of bed and throwing on her dressing gown.

"Your mother refers to a book of spells in her journal. I was wondering if you knew—" he started. But before he could finish, Amelia was reaching down to lift up a loose stone in the floor of her room. From within the dark hole just large enough to house it, she pulled out a heavy object wrapped in cloth.

"_The Book of Spells_ by Lei Magnus. Perhaps you can find what you're looking for in here," she said simply, handing it over to him. The complete trust she had for him as she handed over what was most likely the most dangerous now existing magical item in the world with a smile gave him pause. In this volume was perhaps the answer to all of his woes. He wanted to hug her.

"Thank you," he said. "I'll return it when I'm done."

"Will you be coming to my party tonight, or will you be completely absorbed by that book?" she asked.

"Do you want me to come?" he asked cautiously in return. The thought of a golem-like man dressed in evening frills and velvet amid Seiyruun's A-List nobility wasn't particularly appealing to him.

"I would like for you to attend, yes," she responded.

"Then…I guess I will attend," he answered. Amelia gave him another brilliant beam that nearly blinded him. In that moment, all he saw was her smile and its proximity and his mind was filled with her lovely image in the morning light streaming through her windows. For a moment, Zel forgot what it was he was holding in his hands.


	7. Coup D'Etat

Chapter 6: Coup D'Etat

Back in her living quarters, Amelia watched the sun rise from her balcony. Gentle layers of mist covered the countryside beyond the walls of the city. The fresh scent of morning stirred her senses. A soft wind caressed her cheek and she smiled in pure, innocent happiness. Zelgadis and she had agreed to hide the book until later that night, after her coronation gala, when they would again meet in her room and study its contents. It was otherwise too dangerous to leave lying around out in the open and Zelgadis had nowhere to hide it. The thought of them alone again did not escape her princess sensibilities and she did blush at what the chambermaids would think if they found out.

Almost immediately after he left that morning, Amelia started fantasizing scenarios in her head imagining how Zelgadis would thank her if she found a cure to his curse. She wondered if it might be too bold of her to ask him to stay and eventually ask him to be her Prince Consort when it was time for her coronation ceremony. An insuppressible giggle came up from her stomach as she imagined her wedding dress. How she would receive such beautiful wedding gifts from the foreign dignitaries….

"I think I'm getting ahead of myself here," she said to herself thoughtfully. Peeling the carpet away and pulling off the heavy stone floor tile, she smiled as she saw the box there, still safely hidden. Pulling the book out of its hiding place with a handkerchief she climbed back into bed, lying on her stomach. She flipped through several pages of spells that realized that it must be divided into sections. One section for Black Magic, one for White Magic; one large section of Shamanistic Magic, most of which was already known to her, and more obscure, archaic sections of Divine Magic and Chaos Magic. Again, Amelia shuddered to think of the havoc Lina could wreak with the Book.

She turned to the pages of Shamanistic Magic, the first fifty pages or so being spells she was already familiar with. Then, she came across spells she did not know. Many of these pages made her laugh and scratch her head.

_Camel Dung_. A spell cast upon an individual or animal to cause him/her/it to smell vaguely like camel dung for 40 days as to cause avoidance or uncomfortable questions about the source of the smell. Will not work on inanimate objects. She laughed at the sick sense of humor Lei Magnus had, although she was tempted to try it on Lord Nigel. She turned the page.

_Yellow Snow._ Amelia laughed out loud at the description of the spell until tears were coming out of her eyes. She hurriedly turned past the pages involving that spell.

_Fatal Second_. A spell cast to cause instant death upon the recipient. Will significantly deplete life force in exchange for the life taken. Addendum: Can backfire if target is standing in front of a mirror, or water. Amelia wondered how Lei Magnus managed to discover that addendum to tell about it. Again, she turned the page.

_Twilight Memory. A spell cast on inanimate objects to show the caster scenes from the past, visions of people who last touched the object. The caster will not be able to interact with the visions, however realistic. Cross references: page 56, VISIONS; page 435 TIME TRAVEL._

Her hands turned the pages as she studied this spell curiously. It was intricate, and required deep concentration and a barrier around the object to not affect other people nearby. The layout of the barrier was complicated, as the person casting the spell had to be certain of linear directions and time. She thought she had seen its pattern somewhere before but could not put her finger on it.

"I probably couldn't pull off most of these spells," smiled Amelia as flipped to the back of the book. This statement was made despite the fact that she had finished first in her class at Seiyruun's Academy of Shamanistic & White Magic, as expected from a member of the royal family, which then propelled her as a lead candidate as a Shrine Maiden of Ceiphied. Her royal training did however take her out of candidacy for the arduous study to be a Knight of Ceiphied. She would have loved to venture about the countryside patrolling the borders and assisting those in need. Flipping through the last portion of the Book, she paused and realized these pages were written in different handwriting styles.

The last pages of the book were inserts that the subsequent readers and owners contributed the Book. These were their own spells of their own design etched into the brittle blank pages of the ancient volume. Lucia Inverse's writing was large and round, and her _Fury Flower_ spell created fields of undying flowers. Rezo's miniscule but neatly printed writing added _Lamb's Lament, _which was a part herbal, part incantation combination to cure leprosy. Her mother's flourishing hand described her _Best Breasts _spell, which was really self-explanatory…. Amelia wondered if she could scratch it out or tear out the pages to save face for her family, but then paused to think about whether Lina could use it.

"Alas, I have no idea where you are right now, Lina-san, since you never write," she sighed at her friend's missed chance and turned the page.

Aside from some more herbal remedies her mother had scribbled in the next pages, there were no more spells to review. The rest of the pages were blank. Amelia rose to go to her desk and dipped a quill into her inkbottle. Very carefully, she signed her name to this latest addition of the book. When she was finished, the next two pages were filled with her writing, explaining how to cast her spell, _Visfan Rank_, which was a spirit attack in the form of very powerful spiritual boxing gloves. Amelia had used the spell to save Zelgadis once, and thought it was appropriate to put it in the Book of Spells. After all, not all magical talents could create their own spells. She put down her quill and laughed in spite of herself as she put the book on the edge of her table, closer to the open balcony doors, to let the ink dry.

"Lei Magnus would roll over in his grave if he knew what other spells sorcerers and sorceresses have placed in his precious book," she marveled. Amelia rose to stretch and looked around for her slippers. Just then, a brisk wind swept through the room and sent the pages flipping wildly.

"Hey now, the ink will smear!" scoffed Amelia at the wind. She went over to close the double doors. When she returned, Amelia looked down at the book and she nearly stopped breathing as she read the details of the spell on the page before her.

_Blueness Barter. A spell originating in Chaos magic, which combines with Spirit and Divine magic, designed to undo all Shamanistic spells, regardless of origin. Capable of transforming all things into their originl, unenchanted form. The spell's strength highly depends on the ability, purity and determination of the one casting. In exchange, the spell will claim one precious thing from the person who most benefits from the spell, be it life or possession, and send it as a sacrifice to the Sea of Chaos, also known as, the 'Blue Beyond.' Caution: the beneficiary may not be determinable at the time of casting. May cause death to the transformee, or others. Cannot be cast by the beneficiary._ _Cross references: page 147, KHARMA; page 224, CURSES._

It was a very long spell, and the incantation was complicated. Many powers were invoked, including the Sea of Chaos. Amelia's hands trembled as she turned the pages to study them carefully.

"Zelgadis-san," she said involuntarily, as she realized that this spell could be the key to achieving what he wanted most. It sounded dangerous, but Amelia wanted to know everything about it; and she wanted to share what she had found with him. She picked up her quill and parchment from her desk and scribbled her notes down furiously. Just as she was getting to the portions of the explanations that described what was to be exchanged, she heard footsteps in the hall outside her door. Her maids would come soon to dress her and prepare her for such a busy day. The seamstress and attendants would make their final finishes on her gown and that would consist of at least four hours of stitching with Amelia standing on a stool in front of a three panel mirror. She hurried to the hiding place and placed the book and her notes back in hiding, using a foot to kick the wayward rug back in place as there was a knock on her chamber door.

000

Zelgadis opened his sleepy eyes and stared at the ceiling in his chamber, smooth and white with an inlay of stone carvings going around the entire room depicting histories and heroes of Seiyruun finely laid out by some stone mason long ago when the castle was first constructed. A cool breeze danced through the open window and picked up the embroidered hem of the pale blue curtain. He turned away from the morning sunlight that gently touched his face and pulled the covers over his head. For a brief moment, he had recalled their kiss. Immediately, his face turned beet red again and a quiet moan of mortification escaped his lips. He was now initiated. The sensations it gave him were strange and alien to him, but not entirely unpleasant. Still, he was feeling a bit shy at the thought of seeing her again. His golem sensibility was indignant at her impetuousness. She was after all a princess and being her friend, he was concerned about her reputation, especially when she associates herself with a chimera like him. He was also still in search of his cure, and as he was now, he knew they were an ill-fitting pair. It was ridiculous for a princess and a chimera to be a couple. If she ever suggested such a thing he knew he could not accept.

_Well_…_not right away, anyway_, he thought to himself. But a part of him was fascinated at her actions and impulsions. She wanted him to attend the ball. She was going to help him find a cure for his ailment. He knew she cared about him, but it also went deeper than that. The word "love" floated up to his conscious mind. Did she truly feel_that way_ about him? Zelgadis could still feel her soft lips on his.

He was truly uncertain as to how he felt about the little princess. As a stone chimera he often thought of himself as being without a heart, just like any carved stone or marble statue. Did he still have a heart or did Rezo take that from him too? If only he could turn himself human again to find out….

He groaned and half rolled over on the bed. "Why is this becoming so complicated?" All he had in mind on the road to Seiyruun was to ask a favor of a friend. What he got in return was a complicated scenario with potential romance, hope, faith, stifling clothes and rules of royalty, plots and counter plots…

_That's right,_ he thought to himself. There's still that issue of the little conversation he had overheard while passing by one of her "suitor's" chambers. From the sound of their voices he knew they were up to no good. Whether Philionel or Amelia was aware of it was another thing. He had been a bit self absorbed in his own problems to warn her about it before. He needed to tell her. He _owed_ it to her at least…

"No," he said aloud to no one in particular and sighed. "I _want _to protect her."

There was a knock on his door.

"Mister Zelgadis?" asked a manservant from behind his chamber door. Zelgadis looked warily in that direction. They were coming to dress him up in lace and velvet no doubt. Little did he know that the finest tailors of the land, several servants and the assistant chamberlain were waiting behind that door to torment him for the next four hours on color, pattern, style and texture and to create at least four different outfits for him to choose from for this one occasion.

_Only because you asked me to,_ he lamented in his mind.

Just as he opened the door to his chamber to allow the parade of horribles into his comfort zone, another door on a different floor of the castle opened to let three, hooded and uninvited visitors to the castle into an ante chamber adjoining the main festivity hall. A nervous looking page fidgeted uncomfortably as they sidled into the room, Lord Nigel and Prince Jared waiting expectedly.

"Welcome, friends," said Nigel with a tight smile. The unexpected hiss he received in return from one of the visitors did suggest that they were indeed _not_ friends or even friendly for that matter. Nigel opened his hand to reveal an old, hammered gold piece carved in the shape of a skull with tiny ruby eyes.

"As expected from assassins of your reputable stature," said Nigel with forgiveness. "This is, after all, just business."

"If the price is right," said one of the assassins, also opening his hand to reveal an almost identical gold piece, "we may yet becomes friends." His voice was a cross between a low purr and a growl. The sound of it set Jared ill at ease. He shifted his weight nervously and looked out the nearest window to hide his discomfort.

Lord Nigel waved a hand in front of the page's face, who simply stared at him blankly."Go back to your duties, forget what you've seen here." The boy's enchanted mind turned his body stiffly and marched him back in the direction of the kitchens.

"Mind control is no easy task," said the third assassin, pushing back his hood and revealing a smooth, shoulder-length mane of jet black hair. "I'm impressed."

"My family lineage is of the most impressive nature," smirked Lord Nigel. "You must be Bahlsen." Bahlsen inclined his head in greeting.

"It is a wonder you need us at all then," said the one with the low voice, also pulling back his hood to reveal a shiny shaven head. "I am Deloba, second in command."

The third cloaked figured stepped forward and both Nigel and Jared were a bit taken aback by the hideous mask he wore. "Allemand."

"Forgive my brother, but it is best that you do _not_ see his true visage," said Bahlsen.

"I am aware of the practices of some of the members of the Guild Assassins," said Lord Nigel knowingly.

"Uncle, can we just quit the formalities and get on with the plan before someone spots us?" demanded Jared quietly. The three assassins looked at the young prince with disdain.

"Forgive my nephew, sirs. Youth is his excuse. My family has waited one hundred and ninety nine years forthis day. You see, but for the current ruler of Seiyruun and his daughter, I and my nephew would have sat on the thrones at the dais today as the surviving heirs of the former ruling family."

"I see," smiled Bahlsen thoughtfully. "Well, perhaps we might be of assistance to you then. Because of Philionel's impeccable sense of _right and wrong_, our Guild has never been able to establish itself here, the richest country on this side of the world. You and I may be able to enter a mutually lucrative contract, then."

"I am counting on it," smiled Lord Nigel. "My family's blood boils at the thought of a talentless gorilla sitting on our royal right. Eighteen years I've served under him, serving as this country's steward in his absence and head of his Council while he is here. I have patiently waited for the day of his daughter's coming of age. Finally her mother's protective spell will fade. I need him to 'disappear'."

"It can be arranged," said Bahlsen, concentrating on the shine of his clean fingernails.

"And the price?" asked Jared. His uncle suddenly glared at him to stay silent.

"But it's _my_ inheritance we're spending, Uncle. I _should_ have a say as well," said Jared.

"Sad, but true," his uncle finally admitted. "Until I have the crown, I am only a Minister of Seiyruun. My nephew, however, is a Prince with deeper pockets."

"Eight hundred guilders," said Bahlsen flatly. "That's just for Philionel. The princess will be another matter."

"Eight _hundred -?_" began Jared but his uncle held up the palm of one hand.

"So be it," Lord Nigel smiled. "We will take care of the princess. How soon can you act?"

"The ball will be a fine distraction," said Bahlsen as he looked at his companions. "Tonight is just as good as any other."

"Shall we shake on it then?" asked Nigel with a winning smile and one hand extended toward his guest.

* * *

Author's notes: I'm really sorry for the delay. I had this story line all plotted out one day nearly a year ago and then, not writing it down, totally forgot how it was supposed to go. Hehe, my bad. I've worked on my Samurai Champloo and Full Metal Panic stories since then, always wondering when I'd get back to poor Amelia! But I've always been faithful to her and even named my firstborn after her, so I can promise I will never abandon this story. –K. (11/21/08)


	8. Midnight Moon

**Chapter 8: Midnight Moon**

Philionel of Seiyruun dabbed a frilly, silk handkerchief to the corners of his eyes. The servants were hanging festive boughs of floral arrangements and ribbons along the rafters of the main hall as he continued to give directions every now and then. There were, after all, a lot of expectations to meet and noble guests to impress. The more they were taken in by the next Crowne Princesse, the better time she would have at ruling the country after he retired. Everything had to be perfect tonight.

He had always had a soft spot for his little Amelia. Why, it seemed as if it was just yesterday that he accompanied her to her first day of class at the Royal Academy. She had wanted to go alone and inconspicuously so that the others would treat her just the same as any other girl but Phil would have nothing of that. Fanfare, carriages and rose petals announced her entrance. He had, after all, taught her the importance of first impressions and a good introductory pose.

He observed that his second daughter had always been small but strong. Unlike her mother, Amelia would never be tall, but she had twice the heart to made up for that. Her cuteness eventually gave way to an elegant grace that her sister had possessed.

_Alas, my poor Gracia…_ thought Phil to himself. Had Gracia stayed, Phil would not have to subject Amelia to her current fate. Ruling a country was difficult work and it wasn't for everyone. Gracia seemed to have a more natural disposition to it than her younger sibling. When Amelia had left home to search for Gracia Phil suspected that his daughter may have also been searching for herself, which is why he let her go unaccompanied. She was capable enough of protecting herself from the common thug and had a magical coin purse that would never empty. It was the little freedom he could give her before she came of age. It wasn't until she befriended Lina Inverse that her life was really put as risk…several times…and ultimately the reason why he had to eventually call her back.

He sighed. Amelia had become so lonely again in the castle…until that young man returned. He dabbed he eyes again. Phil considered several ways to bribe Zelgadis to stay longer this time.

"Majesty?" asked a voice behind him that startled Phil out of his quiet reverie. He turned to see his Chamberlain and Lord Nigel waiting patiently at the annex to the main festivity hall.

"Ahem," said Phil, clearing his throat a little. "Yes, gentlemen. What can I do for you?"

"Your majesty, you need to sign here, here and here to relinquish funds to pay the patisseries, tailors, florists and servants for tonight," said the Chamberlain flipping through several sheets of paper attached to a writing board. A pageboy at his elbow presented a quill and ink for the king.

"Yes, thank you, chamberlain," said Phil. "Is that all?"

"Yes, Majesty," bowed the chamberlain as he left with the pageboy shadowing behind him.

"If I may, your Majesty," said Lord Nigel placing a hand on Phil's shoulder. "My wife and I would like to congratulate you privately on the success of tonight and your heir apparent." Phil eyed Nigel's hand on his shoulder and smiled. It was uncommon for Nigel to be so friendly to him, but perhaps the occasion called for it.

"I have a present waiting for you in the garden," said Nigel. "My wife insisted upon a giant floral topiary." He led Phil out the door. "I hope you don't mind."

"Not at all, Nigel. The last topiary your wife created for my birthday was adorned with rare silks and jewels. It was quite the gift."

"Yes, well, this way, if you please Sire," said Nigel gesturing out the nearest open door. Just as the King stepped out side, Nigel looked around to see if there were any unwanted people around. With a slight nod of his head the assassin trio sprung upon the king. Out of nowhere, Allemand came forth. Before the king could speak he touched Philonel's forehead with a long bony finger and simultaneously cast a spell to seal his voice. Balsen came down from the tree line and enveloped Philonel in a large, black sack. Almost in the same beat, Deloba leaped upon the king and knocked him over the head with a club. The king collapsed but before he reached the ground, Balsen, the largest of the three, caught him and swung up the sack onto his shoulder. All of this occurred in the span of a minute or less, and the three disappeared into the tall hedges without a sound, and no one was the wiser.

Nigel smiled smugly and straightened his tunic and cape as he went back inside the castle. "It's my turn now."

000

"Her royal highness, Amelia Wil Tesla Seiyruun," announced the chamberlain after he tapped the marble floor three times with his tall, golden staff. The room quieted and watched their crowne princess to-be enter the hall. Her entrance was accompanied by light hearted music from the royal string quartet and the gentle applause of gloved hands. Several foreign dignitaries and a long string of nobles immediately approached her to ooze their smiles and congratulations. Being groomed for nearly her entire life for this moment, Amelia smiled and lightly touched each of their hands in acknowledgement. Her suitors also approached and the natural shade of pink that rose to her cheeks was quite endearing as they each in turn asked if they could get her a refreshment, have the first dance, or have a moment with her in the gardens later that night. But they were soon swallowed by the crowd of fawning nobles and their wives who continued to lay compliments at her feet.

"Your highness," said the chamberlain at her side once more, politely nodding to her adoring fans and pulling her aside, "the high priest will be here soon to present your coronation adornment and crown. Please do not stray too far from the dais. You have about thirty-minutes to eat something."

"Thank you," said Amelia gratefully. "Could you have the page get me a plate of something and a glass of wine?"

"Certainly, your highness," said the chamberlain with a slight bow and excused himself. Just as she had a moment to herself, Amelia took in the room with her steady gaze. This was no time to be nervous.

"Just don't trip over your own feet. Just go through the motions like you've rehearsed. Everything should be fine," she said quietly to herself. She wished her voice sounded a little more convincing.

"Talking to yourself now?" asked a familiar voice. She turned to see Zelgadis wryly smiling at her. He was dressed to the nines in a fashionably loose cream-colored shirt with ruffles and black slacks under a beautifully embroidered short cape of blue and gold clasped at the neck with a broach of lapis lazuli.

"Zelgadis-san, you've made it!" she said with a very informal hug. Zelgadis noticed that a few people nearby were staring at them.

"Amelia, maybe we should keep up appearances in front of these people, for your sake. They probably aren't very impressed with me."

"You are my special guest. I don't see why they wouldn't be." Zelgadis smiled at her genuine expression and the honesty in her voice. To the princess, he was just a normal guy, not a golem.

The floor of the hall started to clear as couples set themselves in the center. The chamberlain signaled for the musicians to start the first dance. On queue, as if they had all been practicing for this moment, the couples aligned themselves in a perfect circle in the hall and began to dance. Their graceful movements set off swirls of fabric in many colors in unison for the onlookers to admire. Amelia noticed that two of her suitors were coming her way, most likely to compete to beg her to be their partner. There was suddenly no sign of Jared and Amelia was a little grateful.

Following her line of sight and the grimace that crept onto her face, Zelgadis led her away from them and into the group of dancers.

"Zelgadis, what are you-?" she asked, rather surprised.

"Would you care to share the first dance with me?" he asked formally with a focused gaze and his most sincere tone. His formal words were a little odd for his character but she was utterly enchanted.

"Nothing would please me more," she said in a low voice, also in a formal tone. "But-I'm not very good at this dance," she added with an apologetic smile.

"Don't worry," he reassured her as he placed one hand on her waist and took her hand in his. Leaning over her he whispered in her ear, "I'll lead."

What followed was a bit of a blur for Amelia. The princess was in such utter bliss that she was ignorant of the way people stopped their gossiping to watch her dancing and then scrutinize her choice of partner. The ways Zelgadis held her firmly to him as he deftly lead her through the steps and the twirls and the spins told her that we was actually a practiced dancer. She wondered where he had learned the steps. Her thoughts became hazy again as she lost herself in his gaze. It was so much like the fairy tales she had read as a child where the spells always broke at midnight. She wished she had a spell that would stop time.

The dance finally ended, leaving Amelia a little breathless not only from the sheer number of steps but also from the constant, close proximity with the person who had inspired the longest standing romantic crush of her life. Applause followed the bows of the musicians who received it, and the pageboy appeared out of nowhere to bring her and her dancing partner food and drink.

"You're not as bad as you said you were," chided Zelgadis.

"You're just a good enough dancer that it didn't matter," she smiled in spite of herself.

"Well, if you're going to make me wear frilly things, I'm going to at least let you share in my misery," he joked. "What's that?" asked Zelgadis curiously as he observed the silver platter held up by the page. Amelia took a folded piece of paper from the tray and read it in silence. Her brow furrowed and a tight expression came over her.

"What's wrong?" asked Zelgadis, true concern in his voice. Amelia looked around and to her dismay, could not locate her father, who should have been here already.

"They have my father," she responded stonily.

"Who does?" he asked.

"I'm not sure."

Zelgadis stepped protectively closer to her and scanned the room for suspicious people. "What are you going to do?" he asked calmly.

"The guests must not know or else they'll panic. Seiyruun's reputation as the strongest, safest nation is at stake. I'll just have to retrieve him before anyone notices."

"I'm not letting you go alone," he declared. "It's obviously a trap."

"I didn't think you would, Zelgadis-san," she smiled gratefully.

000

"What is this place?" asked Zelgadis as he moved the glowing orb of his light spell closer towards the wall to observe the faces of the old oil paintings hanging there, eerily staring back at him. As they moved he could smell the dust being kicked up from the moldy carpet.

"The sealed off section of the castle. The note said my father would be here," she replied, eyes also darting around to locate any traps that may have been laid out for her.

"And they know knew about this place," concluded Zelgadis.

"It used to be the living quarters of the prior ruling family of Seiyruun. I think very few people know about this place," said Amelia with disdain.

"And yet you knew about it?" asked Zelgadis.

"I stumbled upon it a while ago. I don't think my father wanted me to ever come back to the place where my mother died," she said sadly.

"Your mother-?" he asked, a little startled.

"I have a feeling this is where Gracia saw my mother for the last time. The culprit was never caught."

"What would your mother be doing here?" he asked gently.

"She was a powerful sorceress. There is a god statue in one of the rooms. I think she may have come to meditate and practiced her spells there. She was distantly related to the former ruling family. They were rumored to be very powerful, magically, unlike my father's line."

He stopped her abruptly with an arm extended in front of her as a gesture for her to stop. There was a light at the end of the hall, coming from the dreaded room that Amelia was trying to put out of her mind. She nearly froze with anxiety as they reached the doorway. Zelgadis' placed a firm, reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"I'm here with you," he said simply in his usual low, steady voice as they entered the chamber side by side.

When her eyes adjusted to the eerie green light of the chamber, Amelia observes Jared and Lord Nigel on either side of the statue and ponders their connection for a moment.

"What's the meaning of this?" she demanded.

"I expected you to come alone, but I see you've brought your bodyguard with you," said Nigel.

"The more the merrier," grinned Zelgadis. Nigel shrugged.

"You can call it revenge, princess. Evolution. Or you can even call it a coup. It's amusingly ironic that the king's most loyal and longstanding member of the Council is actually a member of the former ruling family, waiting all this time for this very moment," said Nigel, kicking the large, crumpled sack at his feet. Amelia thought she heard a muffled grunt.

"How dare you," began the princess, fists and teeth clenched.

"Let's see which of us is most fit to ascend the throne, shall we, niece?" he stated, as he took off his gloves and his cloak. "If you lose, you must marry Jared and allow him to come to power."

"If _you_ lose," said Zelgadis cracking his knuckles. "You die."

Jared was the first to summon a fireball and it singed the edges of Zelgadis' cloak a little as he stepped in front of it to deflect it away from Amelia. Simultaneously, Amelia and Nigel summoned a levitation spell and headed directly towards one another. Jared and Zelgadis followed suit and exchanged an air _bomb di wind _cancelled out by a _dill brand_ earth spell in mid-air, pushing one another away_. _At the very last moment, Nigel finished the incantation for his _burst rondo_ while Amelia unleashed her _visfan rank_double-round kick. He was able to block her while she was able to evade his attack and they both landed skidding across the dusty floor to a stop. The parties were now on opposite sides of the room. Amelia cast a wary glance at the huddled mass at her feet.

"Hang in there, Daddy," she said quietly.

They were evenly matched and Amelia knew they would not finish in time for the coronation. Outside, the clock tower chimed. The noise distracted Amelia for a split second, but Nigel was quick to catch it. Immediately, a burst of energy came forth from his hand and she did not have time to deflect it.

Suddenly, Zelgadis leaped in front of her and took the full brunt of the blow with his body.

"Zelgadis!" cried Amelia as she watched him go down. Luckily, his stone body prevented any serious damage but she was still concerned as she chanted her healing spell and placed a warm hand over the singed hole in his tunic.

"Pay attention," grunted Zelgadis as he healed.

"How touching. I never thought I'd see the day, but I do believe you are in love, princess," smirked Nigel. "And if I'm not mistaken I do believe this foolish freak cares for you as well. If you cooperate, we can let your friend off the hook easily."

"This is not your fight," she said as she helped Zelgadis back up.

He then took her hand responded, "It is now."

"You should take my father out of here and get him over to the castle healers," she insisted. "I'll take care of these two." Zelgadis paused and then gave her a nod. He removed the king from the dark satchel. Philionel was unconscious as Zelgadis slung the hefty man over one shoulder.

"I'm coming back for you," he said sternly. "Don't do anything foolish like get hurt. I will _never_ abandon you," he swore. Amelia blushed a little as she caught the determined look in his eye. She felt as though he had just confessed his undying love for her.

000

Zelgadis hurried out of the dark chamber and levitated him and Philionel out of the forbidden part of the castle directly into the infirmary. The attendants and healers there were extremely surprised to see their king in such a state.

"Don't worry. He drank too much without eating first and then he fell down a flight of stairs. Please, just revive him in time for the coronation," instructed Zelgadis as he rushed out of the infirmary towards the hall to alert the chamberlain that both the princess and the king were indisposed and that the ceremony would have to be delayed. It was Amelia's wish that they handle this as quickly and quietly as possible, to not distract attention or raise any eyebrows on the night her father had so painstakingly prepared her and groomed her for. The foreign dignitaries and officials were not to know of any internal unrest or upheaval of Seiyruun lest they find a reason to invade. The political reputation of Seiyruun was to be upheld at all costs.

As he raced into the crowded room at the ball he suddenly spotted the one he had been keeping an eye out all night for. Dressed in a dark, conspicuous cloak, the tall woman was sipping her wine behind a potted plant. She had been waiting for the coronation to begin but immediately, Naga concluded something was wrong when the chimera approached her.

"Lord Nigel is staging a coup," he said matter-of-factly. "Your sister needs your help."

* * *

Author's note: I know, I know, it's about time, right? I was watching the first few episodes of Slayers Revolution online. And it is very much as it was 10 years ago! I realize some of the episodes are a little mindless, and it doesn't help that these episodes aren't based on the author's novellas, but I've also grown up since then. Still, my admiration for Zel and Ame-chan and their interactions is as strong as ever! And you're right Aisha C, it really does fit in as a prelude to Revolution! Do they ever explain how Zel and Amelia make an entrance together? -Kero (4/10/09)


	9. Morning Mist

Author's notes: Thanks to piku, Ichiban Victory and cyberimp6 for the encouragement and additional information - much appreciated! I was wondering if my readers had moved on to other things, but apparently, the die hards are still around, heh. -Kero (4/11/09)

* * *

**Chapter 9: Morning Mist**

"Too bad your knight in shining armor left you, Your Highness," snickered Jared as he unleashed a _digger volt _at her. She blocked the attack with a _burst flare_.

"I don't need help taking out the garbage," she smiled. "Justice will prevail." Trying to get a better angle to fight them both, Amelia raced to another corner of the room, but Nigel would not let her obtain any advantage and matched her step by step. He started the incantation, took aim and released a _flare lance_ at her. Amelia gauged the trajectory of his aim and step aside with a half-turn and finished her incantation for a _freeze arrow_. The tip of the thin blade of glowing ice nicked Nigel in the arm as he came to a stop. He inhaled his breath sharply.

"Very clever, princess. I underestimated you," he said calmly with hate in his eyes.

"_Dolph strash!_" cried out Jared as he released a supersonic shockwave spear. Unfortunately, the prince misjudged the distance and nearly hit his uncle, who had to duck suddenly to avoid losing his head. The powerful spell missed Amelia as she also ducked, but the spear lopped off the head of the god statue behind her and pierced the side of the wall. The wall exploded leaving a gaping hole to reveal the night stars outside. Just then, a burst of fireworks lit up the sky and the sound of distant applause followed. Amelia wondered if Zelgadis had queued the Chamberlain to give the guests a light show for now, as the coronation would be delayed. If so, his timing was impeccable, as always.

"Idiot!" screamed Nigel at his nephew. "I told you, _no_ powerful spells while we're in here!"

The lights in the chamber dimmed and the ground felt uneven, as if the floor was shifting. Amelia put her arms out to steady herself and looked around the room. A wave of dark energy was pouring from the statue where the head had come off. Even Nigel took a step back.

"What's happening?" asked Jared as he inched closer to the edge of the room.

"You've just released the hundred ninety nine year old curse of our family ancestor who first placed the statue there. We need to run," said Nigel, panic in his voice.

"I can't! My legs feel glued to the floor!" cried Jared. Amelia also found that she was unable to move.

**"_I am the Sea of Chaos; who dares awaken my slumber?" _**asked the statue in a voice that was sexless and infinitely old.

"What _is_ this?" thought Amelia aloud, the cold grip of fear wrapping around her chest.

"Our family had discovered this relic long ago-it belonged to the ancient world," said Nigel in a hoarse whisper. "It harbors power drawn from the mightiest of all gods. They intended to use it to destroy their enemies if ever the castle was overtaken, but they never had need to use it as Seiyruun had always been powerful and outside threats were never really that serious. But should the statue break, the power will be released and it will not dissipate. The whole castle will be swallowed up in the Void."

"Why would anyone leave something like that here?" demanded Jared.

"What do we do to stop it?" asked Amelia, putting aside the fact that she and the other two were still enemies.

"Only a powerful sorcerer can harness and channel its energy. From what I've heard about it, only spells rooted in _Chaos_ are adequate," said Nigel. The air around them started to buzz and charge with energy. An amorphous, dark, and shifting void started to expand slowly in the center of the room. Amelia was at a loss. The entire castle and everyone in it could be sucked into nothingness if she didn't think of something. The slow realization that this was also beyond their ability was accompanied by a grim feeling that fell to the pit of their stomachs as the amorphous blob moved towards them.

000

The young woman stared at Zelgadis for a second before pushing back the hood of her cloak and revealing her pale, beautiful face and haughty smile.

"It wasn't hard to notice the only person who's drinking and eating at a party without actually joining it," said Zelgadis.

"I applaud you for your powers of observation," she said. "But I don't think I understand what you mean."

"Don't play stupid now, Princess Gracia. Your family needs your help. Will you turn from them now?" said Zelgadis calmly.

"I am Naga, the White Serpent. I have no knowledge of this _Gracia_," she said quietly.

"Your father has been beaten unconscious and your sister is fighting for the kingdom as we speak in the same space where your mother was killed," he said seriously.

The former first princess' face visibly paled. Her gloves stretched thin as her hands clenched into fists. No matter who asked her to, no matter who's life was in danger, there was no way she was ever going back to that room. She didn't have the strength.

"I can't—" she began, hesitatingly.

A loud rustling in the bushes suddenly interrupted them. At that moment, three darkly clad figures appeared before them on the terrace and drew their weapons; a mace, a sword, and a long scythe. A cool night breeze blew between the two sides.

"Our instructions were to take you out, stone man," said Bahlsen. "We are to take out all of the princess' allies tonight, and you are first on the list. No offense."

"None taken," said Zelgadis. He instantaneously moved forward and drew his sword. The blade sang as it crossed his opponent's weapon. They locked in offense and defense as they stared grimly at one another.

"Not bad," smiled Bahlsen wickedly. "We're going to enjoy hacking you to pieces."

"_Ohohohohohohohoh_!" laughed Naga malevolently, drawing all eyes toward her. She took off her cloak to reveal her scantily clad body. "I am Naga, the White Serpent. All who dare stand against me shall behold my beauty and weep."

"Huh?" asked Bahlsen, a little confused.

"Who's this broad?" asked Deloba.

Allemand drew his scythe and charged at her, swinging low to cut her off at the knees. Naga jumped and made several backward flips to avoid his wide arc. Where she landed, Deloba had swung his large mace to crush her. Instantly she jumped out of the way.

"_Levitation!_" she called out as her feet glided gracefully over the stone terrace tiles and she landed with a dainty swirl of dust at her feet.

"A sorceress..." spat Deloba.

"Doesn't matter!" said Allemand, with a dark sneer across his lips. He leaped up into the air and kicked off for more lift along the side of the building. Then, head first, he dove at Naga, spiraling down like a little whirlwind with the blade of his scythe humming as it spun with him. He came at Naga, slashing away a lock f her hair as she dodged him. While still in close range, she cast a _balus rod_, and the flexible beam of light whipped the scythe out of his hands.

"You'll pay for that," growled Naga, stroking her newly trimmed lock of hair.

Before his fellow assassins could assist, Naga released her _gu lu douger_ dragon spell. A shiny, mid-sized pale blue dragon with wings burst forth and cracked the terrace tiles as it stomped and howled at them. The assassins drew back and hesitated.

"Small ranged attacks only," warned Zelgadis. The last thing they needed were the party guests and council members in an uproar over property destruction. No one needed to know about the coup just yet.

"This will end quickly," smiled Naga devilishly.

Suddenly, the air around them felt saturated and each of them felt as though they were lurching forward. They all started to feel the ground shifting, as if time and space were not quite matched up. Zelgadis turned to where he had left Amelia and noticed a dark ooze of powerful magic was emanating from that wing of the castle. Even the moon was dimmed by a dark veil as it hung over the castle ramparts.

"What the-?" he nearly cursed.

"That's really powerful magic. What _are_ they summoning up there?" asked Naga, almost to herself. Zelgadis turned to face her again.

"I need to go back," he said.

"I know," she agreed. "Go help her. I can't go back up there," said Naga, drawing her sword. "I'll protect my father."

Zelgadis gave her one last glance and a nod. He leaped back from his opponent and raced back into the castle. Before Bahlsen could follow after him, the dragon's spiked tailed whipped out and left a hole in the terrace floor in front of him. Bahlsen paused and eyed the sorceress warily.

"_I'm_ your opponent now, boys," she grinned. "I'll make you regret you ever laid hands on a royal and make sure you remember to stay the hell away from my family."

000

Zelgadis rushed back down the dark corridor, part running, partly using a _levitation_ spell, with the Book of Spells clutched tightly in his hand. Surely there was something in there that they could use. He made his way back to the room with all due haste. Without hesitation he plunged himself into the darkly layered air in the chamber and looked around for Amelia. She was several yards away from the god statue, now headless for whatever reason, on the far side of the chamber. The darkness was emanating from the center of the room, and he saw that no one could move. Zelgadis also felt a dark grip on his legs slowing him to a stop against his will as he made his way along the side wall and back to her side.

"Zelgadis-san!" she exclaimed, surprised at his sudden reappearance.

"What is _that_?" he asked warily.

"The remnant power of the Lord of Nightmares, I think," she replied bleakly. Without another word, he immediately began to flip through the pages of the book, looking for anything that would dispel the void. On the other side of the room, Nigel started shrieking.

"Help! It's going to swallow me!" he screamed. He was the closest to the center of the room.

"It will be the end of us all if we can't dispel it," said Zelgadis.

"Y-you have to invoke a spell to use up the power stored within the statue," said Nigel hastily.

"It must be a Chaos spell," added Amelia.

"I have no idea how to cast a Chaos spell," said Zelgadis, almost apologetically. "My grandfather never taught me. If it has to be that, the only person stupid enough and strong willed enough to do it would be Lina, and she isn't here."

"It doesn't matter," said Amelia. "We have to try." She took the book from his hand and turned directly to the page she had been studying earlier. Zelgadis was shocked that she even knew where to look.

"I need you to cast this circle for me," said Amelia, turning the book around for him to see, and looking directly into his eyes with determined focus.

"What do you intend-?" he began. She placed a gloved hand on his sleeve.

"Trust me," she smiled.

Zelgadis closed his eyes and didn't hesitate to cast a magical circle for dark magic in the exact form the Book indicated. Amelia cleared her mind and started the first incantation.

"_Mother of all Chaos, lend me thy power…_"

"The statue was unbreakable until now," said Nigel still disbelieving their misfortune. "Her mother had cast a protective spell over it that would wear off when the heir came of age. Otherwise, I would have used it on the castle long ago." He sighed. "It was the last thing she did before I had her killed."

Amelia could not stop her spell casting now as she moved to combine her first dark magic incantation with the next spirit magic incantation, but Nigel's words fell heavily upon her. Zelgadis could see the glistening of tears at the corners of her eyes.

"She was my distant cousin, and I loved her deeply. But she was determined to marry that fool. I wanted to use the statue's power to kill him and destroy the rest of his family in one blow, but she discovered my intention. I craved revenge against the ruling house of Seiyruun for uprooting my family from its seat of power. The throne was rightfully ours. Now, I see that it will never be," he said sadly, as the dark void inched closer to him. His faint words of confession were wrought out of anxiety and an understanding of the inevitable. Though she despised him, even Amelia had to fight the urge to sympathize with him in his last moments.

"Uncle!" shouted Jared, trying to move, without success.

Chaos started to expand and collapse space and time within the center of the room as the power gathered was too powerful to hold in a single astral plane and Nigel was swallowed up. The dark amorphous blob then took the shape of a dark, smoky dragon whose long neck seem to extend beyond Heaven, and slithering tail fell through the depths of Hell.

"What is _that_?" asked Jared as he nearly wet his pants.

Amelia clasped her hands in a prayer to Ceipheid before she begins the final chant as Zelgadis reinforced the outer circle as the spirit energy and dark energy Amelia gathered with her incantations and combined them to make the circle glow greenish gold.

"_Lord Cepheid, protect your disciple,_" she thought to herself before she opened her eyes and shouted the last of the summoning spell, "The circle is drawn and I have sworn the blood oaths. I summon thee to come forth, Blue Beyond, in the name of _Chaos_!"

Time stopped at that point and a flash of light took Amelia's consciousness into another dimension. The princess thought she had squeezed her eyes shut against the bright light, but she was now staring at a vast expanse of what appeared to be a long stretch of velvet, dark purple sky above a deep, blue sea. A glimmer of gold on the horizon between the two fluctuated like a pulse. Amelia set her fear aside and marveled at how the Sea of Chaos was actually a peaceful place.

**"_Why have you invoked me_?"** asked a voice in the expanse.

"I want to save my kingdom," she answered steadily.

**"_What is it you seek_?"**

"I wish to fulfill the wish of the one I love."

**"_His wishes are conflicting," _**said the hollow voice.**_ "He desires power and he desires love. Love is truly without reason and rooted in Chaos. Self-sacrifice is the purest of all intentions, channeling Chaos into a single stream. Are you willing to sacrifice anything in exchange for what I will grant_?"**

"Yes," responded Amelia without hesitation. "Even my life, if necessary."

**"_So be it_,**" said the voice. A large, dark claw appeared in front of her, poised as if to rake her to pieces. She inhaled sharply.

"**Wait**," said another voice, deep and warm. The claw disappeared and a golden dragon with iridescent green scales flew towards her just as if it had peeled away from the glowing, pulsating horizon.

"Lord Cepheid?" asked Amelia in astonishment. The god-pillar that upheld their world looked exactly like the statue carvings in the Temple of Cepheid.

The golden dragon encircled Amelia as if to protect her.

"_You've summoned protection from the Dragon of Light while invoking my power_?" asked the voice in a tone that was both irritated and amused.

Amelia, still a bit confused, suddenly recalled the lessons while she was a shrine maiden of Cephied.

_"From the Sea of Chaos sprang forth the universe, and when it is destroyed it will return to Chaos;_

_Into order the universe was placed, and thus pillars sprang forth;_

_Dragon of Light Cepheid and his brethren uphold the Realms;_

_Cepheid our world encircled to light the way_

_for those who believe."_

"**She has my protection**_**,**_" stated the Dragon of Light flatly.

"_I require a blood sacrifice to seal my power_," said the Lord of Nightmares.

"**Then you will be satisfied with the blood of the man you consumed**," answered the dragon.

"Very well," said the god disdainfully. "But I will take a portion of her life to balance the exchange."

"**So be it**_**,**_" replied Cepheid, bowing its head.

The vision wavered and the same blinding light that greeted her before took her away again and she lost consciousness.

000

Amelia's head hurt as if someone had placed it in a lemon juicer and squeezed. She felt her brow furrow as she opened her eyes in a squint. The light was gone. Only the misty morning sky hung overhead. The gods were no longer speaking to her. She could feel the stone cold floor of the terrace under her through the fabric of her gown. The only sound was the steady breaths of the one who held her tightly against his chest.

In her mind, the forms of Ceipheid and Chaos faded, and that portion of her memory started to blur as if slowly being erased. It hurt even more to think about it and Amelia let those thoughts go to concentrate on her pain.

"Zelgadis-san?" she said smiling, relieved to be able to see his spiky hair and stony complexion once again.

"The statue's power has dissipated, but your uncle body was dead afterwards. Jared is under house arrest and the Council will convene an emergency meeting to settle the affair after the sun rises. The chamberlain just came by to tell me that your father is awake and the physicians wanted to move you, but I wanted to make sure you were all right before they did. Are you all right?" he asked, with his concern unmasked.

She sighed rather discontentedly. "Yes. But...my spell didn't work."

Zelgadis chuckled. "You don't know that. I read the explanation of the spell you were casting. I just can't believe you had enough guts to do it. You really are Lina's protege." He added, "You cast the spell to make me human, didn't you?"

"You're obviously not," she pointed out weakly.

"You never know," he shrugged. "When we left there I definitely _felt _different. I felt as though a weight was lifted from my body. When I move now, I feel lighter, as if I wasn't covered in stone. What happened when you were taken into the void?"

"I was taken into the void?" she asked curiously.

"You don't remember?"

"No," she said, pursing her lips. Amelia rolled to one side and pushed herself up into a sitting position. "I guess we'll just have to see what happens," she shrugged.

"Should you be getting up so quickly-?" he began. She started to sway from side to side and before she toppled over he caught her again.

"Let's get you inside," he said as he picked her up as if she were light as a pillow and carried her back into the castle.

From behind the potted plant, Naga silently wished her sister well, covered her face with her hood once more and exited the castle premises unnoticed. The three assassins who had challenged her were still alive, but very unconscious and slightly charred as they were piled on top of one another in the center of the terrace. Scribbled in her hand was a note pinned to the leader who was placed on top that read, "GARBAGE."

* * *

Author's note: Thanks to Elise-chan for prodding me ever so gently to post this. I hate reading the penultimate chapter without actually having an ending follow (I'm not that cruel), so I decided Chapters 9 and 10 will be posted together. (Which meant I had to hurry and write Chapter 10)

- Kero (1/25/10)


	10. Fulfillment

**Chapter Ten: Fulfillment**

Philionel awoke from the most beautiful dream. Somewhere in the dark the voice of his beloved wife Genevieve stirred his consciousness. When he opened his eyes he thought his wife had come back to check on him. Upon closer focus he recognized the beautiful face of his firstborn, Gracia. She was smiling at him with a warm expression in her eyes as if she were happy to see him.

When he finally came to, he was back in his royal apartments, snuggled under the softest feathered quilts atop layers of silken sheets. But no physical comfort in that wakeful moment could compare to the feeling of fulfillment from the lingering dream.

For whatever reason, he had missed the bulk of the festivities the prior night and there was quite a nasty bump on his head. Philionel could not solicit a straight answer from any of the physicians or council members who visited his bedchamber intermittently. But, from what he could gather, his guests had enjoyed the ball immensely although his absence made it impossible for the coronation to occur. Amelia was nowhere to be seen, but Zelgadis had come into the royal apartments to inquire after the prince's health and confirm that all was well and Amelia would agree to her coronation a day later. However there were some incidental minor explosions on the terrace and in the old forgotten wing of the castle that would require some repair...whatever that meant.

"Steady lad, that one," said Philionel rather self-satisfactorily to no one in particular after Zegadis had left.

Overall, it was a very relaxing morning in bed.

What Philionel would later discover in an enclosed council meeting in his royal apartments was that his wife's distant relatives had attempted a coup to take power away from his family. His daughter had successfully defeated them and prevented the castle from imploding upon itself when Nigel and Jared accidentally unleashed a centuries old curse. It wasn't until the majority of the people had left after the meeting adjourned that the full weight of what had happened last night sank into silent understanding. For a long moment, he eyed his daughter, also present during the meeting as the crown-princess-to-be, quietly looking out the bedroom window at the afternoon sun. She had an inscrutable expression on her face. It was the expression of the ruler of a kingdom. Amelia was already learning first-hand the meaning of threats to her future reign, what could be said aloud and which secrets to keep to herself. He only hoped that she would not have to endure the years alone when he, eventually, was gone.

"The three assassins are being held in the dungeon," said Amelia quietly. "I haven't a clue what to do with them. Zelgadis suggested execution but that's not something I want to happen right at the forefront of my crowning. What kind of message would that send?" she said, appalled.

"We have to give them a trial," said her father. "We can only do what Justice tells us to do."

"I hope you don't mind, father, but I thought best to reconcile the families and allow Uncle Jared to be buried in the family plot. There's nothing to be done against the dead and I have a feeling he was truly sorry in the end. I can't despise him as much as I thought I would," she said sullenly.

"That's very generous of you, my dear. And wise. It will appease your mother's side of the family, certainly, and we'll pick a hidden, obstructed side of the plot where no one will notice him," said Phil.

"But we simply can't tolerate this 'assassins for hire' business much longer. It's how Mother was killed. They almost killed you. There will be no peace in any land if this continues. Something has to be done about the Assassin's Guild," she said with determination.

"That's very far sighted of you, my dear, but it's a topic best left for another day," smiled her father gently. "Before you decide to wage war on anyone, let's turn our minds to happier business."

"Such as? I don't even have a suitor anymore and the council expects me to choose someone. The tradition of choosing someone to marry on the same day of the coronation is _such_ an outdated concept," frowned Amelia. "I can't just pick someone out of the crowd."

"Tradition is important for the people. It gives them a sense of stability. It is our duty to ensure the lineage is continued. Sure, the coronation was delayed due to excessive drinking and last night ended with a fireworks display that allegedly damaged some parts of the castle but in the end, the people want to see you settling down as my successor," he explained.

"You can't imagine how many dukes, counts and heirs both young and old I was paraded in front of today..." she sighed.

"Everyone wants a chance to catch your eye, my dear. It's your special day. Jared is being kept in the castle as a "_guest_" for an indeterminate amount of time until his family can negotiate his release. I might add, however, _not_ without a hefty payment. You've done well to control the information flow to the guests and the people."

"It was Zelgadis' idea," she smiled.

"I think that boy has your best interests in mind," he chuckled. "He's very astute and attentive to detail." Amelia ducked her head and blushed slightly.

Her father let out a great yawn and stretched his ams over he head. "I'm starting to feel my age, my dear. I've realized I can't continue to be the fearless, peerless leader of Great Seiyruun. This last incident with the assassins proves it. I still can't believe I was tricked and knocked senseless like that. What I really want now is to see your coronation tonight and feel that certainty when I hand you the scepter that I am entrusting the kingdom to an able princess." After a moment's hesitation, he added, "I wish Gracia were here to see it. I had a dream about her this morning, you know."

His words startled Amelia bit. She had told Zelgadis not to mention her sister in front of her father, lest it trigger another fruitless and expensive manhunt. It was clear that Gracia did not wish to be found.

Somehow, after last night, she could no longer resent Gracia for abandoning her post and leaving Amelia with the burdens that followed. Her sister's actions her loyalty to her family. Rather, as her father had once explained, it simply wasn't in Gracia's future to be queen.

"I will make you proud, Daddy," she beamed back at him. Philionel placed a large hand on her head.

"I already am, Ame-chan." He smiled back with a father's warmth.

000

Amelia stared silently at her reflection in the full-length mirror. She contemplated the conversation she had with her father just a few hours before. She was a little anxious about the ceremony and all the pairs of eyes that would be watching and scrutinizing her. As she was being dressed and groomed for the occasion, she wondered if she had the courage to do what she intended tonight, or if she would falter in her resolve when the moment came.

Her ladies in waiting had taken some time to dress her in a fine pearl colored satin gown and silver tiara. This was her "back-up" gown that had been tailored with the one she wore last night. The first dress was deemed "unsalvageable" and so this one would have to do. A thick, velvety red ribbon draped across her chest had her royal insignia pinned neatly along with her other status badges depicting her family crest, her rank and the like. Lost in thought, she gently fingered the golden dragon on her Order of Ceiphied crest that was pinned close to her heart. She only had a vague recollection of what transpired after she cast the Chaos spell. She wondered what had been "exchanged" considering Zelgadis looked unchanged and she felt no different. She didn't have a lot of time to think more on it.

"Princess?" asked a timid voice from behind her. She turned to see one of her maids hold up her royal cape, a matching set with the ribbon, to fasten it to her dress.

"It's time to descend the staircase and enter the Hall," said the maid. Amelia gave a nod.

000

Zelgadis walked down an empty corridor in the castle letting his thoughts wander just as his feet were aimlessly seeking some destination. No one really noticed him thought he was walking in plain sight. His presence at the Castle had become quite ordinary and most castle insiders recognized him as the princess' invaluable friend.

Only a few guests noticed the stony complexioned golem walking down the hallway dressed like a prince. His cool demeanor and aloof expression were enough to keep them at bay. It wasn't until he was halfway there that he realized he was walking towards Amelia's chambers. Zelgadis stopped in mid step and wondered what possessed him to do so. He had just seen her earlier that morning and she seemed well enough to function. That gave him much relief. Yet something was nagging him and he could not fight the urge to see her again.

Just as he was contemplating what he would ask or say to her if they happened to "accidentally" run into each other in the hall, he noticed a figure standing aloof in a corner of the hallway in a large mirror hung on the wall. He turned to confront that familiar figure but Xellos was nowhere to be found.

It did not escape him that the mischievous demon may have had a hand in much of what happened here in the past few weeks if not months. As he turned to continue down the hall, the familiar and altogether annoying demonic grin greeted him.

"Hi," said the unexpected visitor.

"Xellos," grumbled Zelgadis in greeting.

"Going up to see your precious princess?" he asked cheerfully.

"That's none of your business," Zelgadis retorted.

"Well, I knew you'd be useful to me in many ways the first time I saw you. This time is no exception-you've really outdone yourself."

"What are you saying?" asked Zelgadis suspiciously.

"Well, it's quite fortuitous that you came to visit your little princess when you did. The statue had to be destroyed one way or another because the Queen's protective spell was weakening. My Master originally bade me to do it to maintain balance in the Universe. But really, rather than risk my life, you and the little princess stuck your necks out. In the end, neither of you seem any worse for wear," chuckled Xellos.

"Did you plan on Amelia finding the Book of Spells?" demanded Zelgadis. The demon only shrugged off the question.

"Among other things. I actually did not expect her to live through it. It never ceases to amaze me how durable Lina's little friends are," he responded honestly. "But since it was her family that created the danger, it made sense that the little princess would be the one to fix it." Xellos smiled. "That's _kharma_ for you."

"Get out of my sight before I break your face," said Zelgadis quietly.

"Tsk, tsk," said Xellos, wagging a finger at him. "And here I was to deliver good news to you out of the kindness of my heart."

"You don't have one," said Zelgadis, rolling his eyes.

"The pact the little princess made with my Master in the Void will come to pass on the first night of the new moon. She gave a portion of her life force to fulfill it. I just came to tell you to think carefully about how you want spend this night of the month in the future."

Before Zelgadis began to decipher the demon's cryptic words, Xellos was gone.

000

On her way to the Great Hall, where all her guests were waiting, Amelia found Zelgadis in the rose garden, staring into the fountain. He was dressed in one of the finer outfits the servants had laid out for him since what he was wearing yesterday was all but destroyed with his bleeding. Though he had suggested they return his old clothes to him, for some mysterious reason no one could locate his old traveling clothes. She found his appearance quite handsome.

She found him studying his stony, rock hard reflection in the ripples of water. What was the most troubling for Amelia was the fact that his physical appearance was unchanged, despite her wish.

"Amelia," he greeted warmly as he noticed her reflection next to his in the water. The change she noticed was in his eyes. They were filled with an expression that she did not recall seeing before and could only be described best as "affection." Amelia wondered how she had not noticed it before.

"How are you holding up?" he asked.

"Well," she responded, "all things considered..."

"Considering you've thwarted a coup, rescued your father and you're being crowned today it was a rather silly question," he chuckled.

"Yes, very," laughed Amelia. "What are you doing out here by yourself?"

"I was just thinking..." his voice drifted softly.

"About?" she asked. He turned towards her and held her gaze in earnest. She found it difficult to resist.

"I don't want to leave you," he began. Amelia's heart started to sink as she pondered the possibility of him leaving to continue his journey. She mustered a cheery smile.

"You don't have to stay out of any sense of obligation, Zelgadis. I will be fine," she assured him. "I have been trained and groomed for this all of my life."

He took one step closer to her and gathered her into his arms. Her cheek was pressed against his velvet ivory tunic. She heard his heart skip a beat.

"You don't have to muster that brave smile for me, Amelia. I know you better than that. If you want to complain, just complain. If you want to laugh, I'll laugh with you. If you want to cry, I'll stay with you."

"Zelgadis," she whispered. She had to ask him now or else she would never be able to do it.

"If I asked you to be my Prince Consort, would you at least consider it?" she asked tentatively.

Without hesitation he responded, "I am willing to be your Protector when you become the Crowne Princesse. If, when you ascend the throne, you still desire it, I am willing to be whatever you wish."

"Zelgadis-san," she said pulling away from him and showing him a surprised, but hopeful, expression.

"I have always wanted to dedicate my strength to a worthy cause, and I believe I have now found you as my calling. I would never have known the feeling of fulfillment if it wasn't for you."

Amelia was motionless and still absorbing his words as he bent down toward her. His rough skin was not unpleasant against her cheek. His lips were surprisingly soft and gentle as they sought out hers. She closed her eyes and could feel the flush come to her face. The music and laughter in the background faded and the scenery blurred as the world fell away. Lifting her chin slightly she shared a long, sweet kiss with him.

"Ahem," said someone in the background, clearing his throat. Their moment was interrupted by the Chamberlain who pretended to not be looking as he watched them from the corner of his eye.

"Your presence is required in the Hall, Highness. The sun is setting."

Zel and Amelia walked silently together, side by side, with her hand draped across his raised open palm formally, as he escorted her into the Great Hall. That small gesture revealed the deeper connection between them as the crowd watched them quietly. The talking and the laughter faded and the people parted to either side to allow them to pass. Their looks became more curious and questioning as the couple progressed towards the dais. But the pair did not look away from one another until they reached the end of the red carpet, where her father, the council members and priests awaited.

Prince Philionel, decked in the formal attire he wasn't able to show off yesterday, offered a hand to his daughter as she lifted the hem of her gown and approached.

"Come forth, Amelia Wil Tesla of Seiyruun, and receive the blessing of your forefathers," said Phil in his deep, authoritative tone. She let go of Zelgadis' hand and removed her tiara, placing it in his hands for safe keeping. Amelia knelt before her father as he raised a golden crown encrusted with sapphires and diamonds over her head.

"I hereby make my declaration, that you, Amelia Wil Tesla Seiyruun, are Crowne Princesse and heir to the throne of Seiyruun by the Grace of Ceipheid and the Houses of Tesla and Dia." Amelia rose and turned to face the audience. She stole a glance at Zelgadis who supported her with his honest smile. Trumpets blared a celebratory tune. With the weight of the crown Amelia felt her destiny move into place as if it had just set itself in stone.

Without a second thought, she offered a gloved hand to Zelgadis. He stepped up onto the dais and in front of the the crowd of witnesses he kissed her gloved hand and knelt on bended knee before her. The backdrop of the sun glowing behind them through the stained window was beautiful and blinding. Just as the sun sank into the horizon, many in the crowd gasped as Zelgadis began to glow faintly, even as the sunlight disappeared. In the blink of an eye, Zelgadis suddenly took human form before the many shocked onlookers. Amelia could hardly believe it herself. Zelgadis, reading her expression, immediately brought his hands to his face and marveled at the almost forgotten texture of his human skin in wide-eyed disbelief.

Prince Philionel chuckled and drew the royal sword hanging at his side. Standing before him, the prince touched the flat of the blade to one shoulder and then the next as Zelgadis continued to kneel.

"I Prince Philionel do hereby knight you, Zelgadis Greywords of the House of Rezo as a Knight of Seiyruun and do declare you the appointed Royal Protector of the House of Tesla. What say you?"

Just as he responded, "I accept and swear an oath of loyalty to Crowne Princesse Amelia Wil Tesla Seiyruun," the crowd erupted in cheers and the music filled the Great Hall.

Many who had seen the princess grow up now noticed that she no longer bore that lonely expression on her face. She beamed a radiant smile as her knight stood before her, her hands held gently in his.

_Finis._

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Author's note: A precursor to Slayers Revolution I suppose? Hehe. When I started this story, this was the ending I originally intended. Amelia would give up a portion of her life to allow Zelgadis to be human again. And he would stay with her now, and give up his wandering. Of course, not a lot of her ife force was exchanged, ironically, since Zel can only be human one day of every month! Hahahah. Don't worry, longevity runs in her family. But I can see what Xellos meant...*ahem*

Long, long ago, when I was still in college, I went online with my dial-up modem (remember those?) and saw a pic of Zel sitting under a tree, traveling somewhere, with one of Amelia's bracelets by his side. That was the inspiration to begin this story, though it would take another five years to put that first chapter down on paper. Now that I think of it, this story took me ten years to finish! Coincidentally there are ten chapters. Hahah...

Sorry it took so long to get to this point. I hope the ending didn't feel too rushed. Let me know what you thought.

-Kero (1/26/10)


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